In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the world it made
Norman F Cantor
Published by Simon and Schuster Inc, New York, New York in 2001
ISBN 0060014342
245 pages
Norman Cantor's New York Times Bestseller, In the Wake of the Plague is a very well written, deeply thoughtful and provocative review of the plague in its historical context. When he recites the well known rhyme of young children: Ring around the Rosies, a Pocket full of Posies, Ashes Ashes, we all fall down and relates it to the way in which children come to terms with an event that is so catastrophic it could mean that they were the only survivor in their entire known family. It is a rhyme that I too said as a child when sudden death was still a common event and small children died from kidney disease, leukemia and so many other disorders that are now curable with modern medical science.
But the plague remains with us even now it is so virulent although for the most part people are saved with antibiotics. But what of the story that he tells; why would I feel that this story might add me in understanding my ancestry? For the most part, the books that I read tell me something about my deep past. It is because he writes a good deal about the effect of the plague on England. England suffered the most from the plague of all the countries in the world. As much as 75% of the population of England died during the plagues that wracked England. Whole villages disappeared never to be populated again. Such was the extent of this virulent illness in that country. For England by the 13th century had a population of approximately 5 million and because of the devastation of the plague that population would not again reach five million until the mid 1800s.
As a result of the plague, a different England developed. An England where serfs became freemen and gradually formed the yeoman class and even up into the gentry class by the dint of hard work. They left behind their peers and became the middle class and even up into the upper middle class. They learned to read and write and created a country that was and continues to be unique as noted in the book. It is perhaps this plague that created the outspoken and democratic Englishmen/women who stood so tall and strong in the face of incredible force at the commencement of the Second World War. For they stood alone against the forces of evil that dominated the European Continent.
But I digress from the book. The Book is written in Three parts - Part I Biomedical Context, Part II People and Part III History.
In the first part we learn that the plague may actually have been a combination of plague and anthrax poisoning and the lack of medical expertise at the time probably resulted in poor record keeping that did not differentiate between the two. The speed at which the disease traveled from the rats on the cargo ships to the length and breadth of England simply does not fully explain the extent of the disease to the author's way of thinking. For myself, I have no idea but his story writing is certainly very interesting and perhaps one day there will be proof of his assertion.
In the second part he selects several incidents in history where plague has resulted in a dramatic change to the way things were supposed to happen. The death of Princess Joan on her way to wed the heir to the Spanish throne has enormous impact down through the ages. The desire of England to be at the forefront of the world activities meant that alliances were needed and the best alliances in this time frame were often those forged by marriage. But it was not to be and young Princess Joan died in Bordeaux and because of a fire it was not even possible to bring her body home for the appropriate funeral in her home country. Her restless soul is depicted as without a proper burial but then sudden death was not unknown in this time frame. There were no miracle medicine; no antibiotics; illness and death stalked every home whether rich or poor. The plague did not skip by the rich anymore than the poor - both died. A scapegoat was needed and so the Jewish people were blamed for spreading the plague and they were hounded from one end of Europe to the other and murdered in great numbers. One wonders how they have ever survived this long considering how persecuted they have been through the ages.
The third part relates history of disease and how it is propagated around the world. The "out of Africa" theory for disease emergence and spread is discussed especially with respect to AIDS which first arose in Africa in the 1930s. But then the miracle drugs are controlling even AIDS these days. Then there is the other theory that the diseases come by meteorite from outer space.
But overall the greatest impact of the Plague was in the development of the Middle class. With a shortage of workers caused by the plague individual serfs came to have a value that they had not had before. The possibility was there for them to first of all buy their freedom and that of their family and to become free agents. They could then take up farming the now vacated land because of the death of so many and gradually over time purchase land, build manor home and educate their children. Although the plague was a dreadful way for a more democratic society to emerge; emerge it did and we are the better for it.
I would highly recommend this book if you are interested in the story of man developing through the ages of time particularly from the time of the plague onward. The author has a good grasp of history and shares his thoughts while he writes; a novel way to write actually. He is seeking the reader's thoughts along the way and almost as if he knew your feedback he carries on and constantly develops his ideas on how the world flowed because of the plague.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Cranford
Cranford
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Published by Everyman's Library; Dent: London, Dutton: New York
244 pages
We purchased the BBC series Cranford and I was quite captured by the illustration of life in the 1840s in a small town. Most of my ancestors came from small towns (or farms nearby) and seeing the different episodes was an interesting foray back in time. I borrowed the Cranford book from the library and having now read it I can say that the series was somewhat faithful to the writings but where it made the story fit the series only added to the interest factor.
This is the story of a fictitious place named Cranford and possibly the location would be western England near the Welsh border and in the Midlands area because they are not far from Manchester which is in south east Lancashire right on the border. The writing rather reminds me of the story telling of my grandparents with whom I spent quite a bit of my youth; initially I listened to my grandfather Blake talk for hours but after his death when I was eight years old I then listened to my grandmother Pincombe tell me stories of her England. For my grandfather's stories were about small town/farming England and my grandmother had grown up in Birmingham and so her stories were of a large industrial city where she managed to escape the industrial aspect of it working as a seamstress/dressmaker after completing her apprenticeship.
My grandmother always said that I didn't love her until after my grandfather died and perhaps that is true. I was too young to know the difference and I rather think I was very shy of her as a small child. She was much younger than my grandfather to my eyes (he was born in 1875 and she is 1886) so not really that many years but children see things the way they see them. But I did love my grandmother dearly as I grew to know her and she taught me to knit and sew very cleverly as a child. I also learned to smock, tat, and crochet. Such skills I used throughout my life until the computer age which lured me away from such homemaking tasks and introduced me to the world. Eventually that world centered on genealogy but that was nearly ten years after I became immersed in the Internet.
The story begins by telling us all about Cranford and the people who lived there. Cranford was a retired widows/spinsters haven with a commercial town of Drumble close by on the railroad. Unlike the television series the railroad had come to Cranford. The old fashioned ways that I heard about as a child from both my mother and my grandfather were alive and in force in Cranford and these ways changed little in the small towns right up to the end of the 1800s for the stories in Cranford are reminiscent of how life flowed according to my grandfather. The need to obey the rules of etiquette at every level of society was extremely important and very much manifested in Cranbrook.
The plight of the unmarried daughters of a clergyman now deceased was the centre of the story in many ways with Elizabeth Gaskell being the witness who related the story. This witness was the daughter of a family friend who lived in Manchester and according to the television series her father had remarried and had a second family which was large and growing and the daughter from the first marriage escaped to Cranford as much as possible since her step mother was always trying to marry her off.
Interestingly, the sudden death aspect of life that is apparent in the television series does not play out in the book Cranford and that rather surprised me. I had watched the series first and it was that aspect that most stayed with me from the television series. I feel now that perhaps the idyllic life that my grandfather painted for his small village of Upper Clatford was probably closer to the book and more in line with how I thought life flowed in the 1800s in England in the country/small towns. I had rather attributed to the sudden death aspect of life to the large cities in particular the cities that were most heavily into the industrial revolution which by the 1840s had quite taken root with hundred of people living in "back to back" houses and eeking out a living on small wages from factories.
My grandmother often talked about the poverty in England. Initially I thought perhaps she had experienced such poverty first hand but gradually as I listened to her stories I realized that she too was an observer. Her life had not been absolutely easy but poverty had not touched her life as it did in some areas of England. The sudden death of her mother had forced her to give up school at age 11 but for the most part children were finished at the age of 12 and her father, who does appear to be educated, continued her schooling in the evening but I suspect he was a rather strict taskmaster although she was very articulate and clever with mathematics when I knew her. She did however have to look after her younger siblings (9, 7, 5 and 1) which was a lot for an 11 year old I am sure. The then sudden death of her father from pneumonia as well when she was 14 was devastating for the family although they were quickly swept up and taken off to live in a children's home. It was this good treatment that has led me to wonder about the stories that I learned from her as a child. She was actually offered a home with three of her father's sisters but I suspect she made the wiser choice in learning to be a seamstress/dressmaker at school as her aunts were not desirous of taking in the younger children. Five children is a lot and I can understand their reluctance.
But continuing with the rather interesting book of Mrs. Gaskell, the storyline continues through an entire year and allows us a peek into the homes and lives of the many people in Cranford. The foibles and happy times, the loves and hates, the proper etiquette all come together to paint a rather interesting picture of how life flowed in the 1840s. That her story holds truths seems reasonable given that she has written this for the entertainment of people in this time period and perhaps it was her legacy to time of how life moved in her lifetime. We can only be most grateful to her for writing it all down.
The style of writing I found rather interesting as it rather reminded me of my grandmother's story telling. She being a Midlander of Birmingham and the story being just northwest of there near Manchester. It contrasts with my grandfather's somewhat more wordy story telling which is perhaps reminiscent of southern England and his voice had less of the abruptness that was part of my grandmother's style of speaking and to be found in Cranford as well.
The center of the story is Matilda and second eldest child of the priest of the parish and her siblings. Gently the story of the family is teased out and spread over the 244 pages of text. The trials and tribulations of the family bringing a smile or a tear to the eye in turn. But perhaps what I most enjoyed was the customs that remained in English families of my acquaintance down into the mid 1900s. The necessary language and attitudes changed little up to that time. The glimpse into the past of the families was a welcome gift from both the television series and the book.
I would highly recommend the reading of the book and in advance of watching the television series as it does contain more information on Cranford. The television series has created a few story lines that do not appear as such in the book Cranford but may appear in other of her writings which I shall now pursue.
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Published by Everyman's Library; Dent: London, Dutton: New York
244 pages
We purchased the BBC series Cranford and I was quite captured by the illustration of life in the 1840s in a small town. Most of my ancestors came from small towns (or farms nearby) and seeing the different episodes was an interesting foray back in time. I borrowed the Cranford book from the library and having now read it I can say that the series was somewhat faithful to the writings but where it made the story fit the series only added to the interest factor.
This is the story of a fictitious place named Cranford and possibly the location would be western England near the Welsh border and in the Midlands area because they are not far from Manchester which is in south east Lancashire right on the border. The writing rather reminds me of the story telling of my grandparents with whom I spent quite a bit of my youth; initially I listened to my grandfather Blake talk for hours but after his death when I was eight years old I then listened to my grandmother Pincombe tell me stories of her England. For my grandfather's stories were about small town/farming England and my grandmother had grown up in Birmingham and so her stories were of a large industrial city where she managed to escape the industrial aspect of it working as a seamstress/dressmaker after completing her apprenticeship.
My grandmother always said that I didn't love her until after my grandfather died and perhaps that is true. I was too young to know the difference and I rather think I was very shy of her as a small child. She was much younger than my grandfather to my eyes (he was born in 1875 and she is 1886) so not really that many years but children see things the way they see them. But I did love my grandmother dearly as I grew to know her and she taught me to knit and sew very cleverly as a child. I also learned to smock, tat, and crochet. Such skills I used throughout my life until the computer age which lured me away from such homemaking tasks and introduced me to the world. Eventually that world centered on genealogy but that was nearly ten years after I became immersed in the Internet.
The story begins by telling us all about Cranford and the people who lived there. Cranford was a retired widows/spinsters haven with a commercial town of Drumble close by on the railroad. Unlike the television series the railroad had come to Cranford. The old fashioned ways that I heard about as a child from both my mother and my grandfather were alive and in force in Cranford and these ways changed little in the small towns right up to the end of the 1800s for the stories in Cranford are reminiscent of how life flowed according to my grandfather. The need to obey the rules of etiquette at every level of society was extremely important and very much manifested in Cranbrook.
The plight of the unmarried daughters of a clergyman now deceased was the centre of the story in many ways with Elizabeth Gaskell being the witness who related the story. This witness was the daughter of a family friend who lived in Manchester and according to the television series her father had remarried and had a second family which was large and growing and the daughter from the first marriage escaped to Cranford as much as possible since her step mother was always trying to marry her off.
Interestingly, the sudden death aspect of life that is apparent in the television series does not play out in the book Cranford and that rather surprised me. I had watched the series first and it was that aspect that most stayed with me from the television series. I feel now that perhaps the idyllic life that my grandfather painted for his small village of Upper Clatford was probably closer to the book and more in line with how I thought life flowed in the 1800s in England in the country/small towns. I had rather attributed to the sudden death aspect of life to the large cities in particular the cities that were most heavily into the industrial revolution which by the 1840s had quite taken root with hundred of people living in "back to back" houses and eeking out a living on small wages from factories.
My grandmother often talked about the poverty in England. Initially I thought perhaps she had experienced such poverty first hand but gradually as I listened to her stories I realized that she too was an observer. Her life had not been absolutely easy but poverty had not touched her life as it did in some areas of England. The sudden death of her mother had forced her to give up school at age 11 but for the most part children were finished at the age of 12 and her father, who does appear to be educated, continued her schooling in the evening but I suspect he was a rather strict taskmaster although she was very articulate and clever with mathematics when I knew her. She did however have to look after her younger siblings (9, 7, 5 and 1) which was a lot for an 11 year old I am sure. The then sudden death of her father from pneumonia as well when she was 14 was devastating for the family although they were quickly swept up and taken off to live in a children's home. It was this good treatment that has led me to wonder about the stories that I learned from her as a child. She was actually offered a home with three of her father's sisters but I suspect she made the wiser choice in learning to be a seamstress/dressmaker at school as her aunts were not desirous of taking in the younger children. Five children is a lot and I can understand their reluctance.
But continuing with the rather interesting book of Mrs. Gaskell, the storyline continues through an entire year and allows us a peek into the homes and lives of the many people in Cranford. The foibles and happy times, the loves and hates, the proper etiquette all come together to paint a rather interesting picture of how life flowed in the 1840s. That her story holds truths seems reasonable given that she has written this for the entertainment of people in this time period and perhaps it was her legacy to time of how life moved in her lifetime. We can only be most grateful to her for writing it all down.
The style of writing I found rather interesting as it rather reminded me of my grandmother's story telling. She being a Midlander of Birmingham and the story being just northwest of there near Manchester. It contrasts with my grandfather's somewhat more wordy story telling which is perhaps reminiscent of southern England and his voice had less of the abruptness that was part of my grandmother's style of speaking and to be found in Cranford as well.
The center of the story is Matilda and second eldest child of the priest of the parish and her siblings. Gently the story of the family is teased out and spread over the 244 pages of text. The trials and tribulations of the family bringing a smile or a tear to the eye in turn. But perhaps what I most enjoyed was the customs that remained in English families of my acquaintance down into the mid 1900s. The necessary language and attitudes changed little up to that time. The glimpse into the past of the families was a welcome gift from both the television series and the book.
I would highly recommend the reading of the book and in advance of watching the television series as it does contain more information on Cranford. The television series has created a few story lines that do not appear as such in the book Cranford but may appear in other of her writings which I shall now pursue.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Spoken from the Heart
Spoken from the Heart
Laura Bush
Published by Simon and Schuster Inc., New York, New York in 2010
ISBN 9781439155202
456 pages, illustrated.
First Lady Laura Bush is a very skillful writer. Her autobiography has let us glimpse into her private life drawing both smiles and tears as one reads her story. Perhaps hidden is her own health story although occasionally one does have glimpses of this as well. She is a strong person and a truly great wife totally supporting her husband as he handled for eight years one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
The details contained in the book were an incredible read. Many of the projects undertaken by this remarkable woman were known to me but there were many that I learned from reading the book. It wasn't until I myself had two children eight years apart that I could understand the pain that one might experience when one does not have siblings. I am one of seven all of whom survived childhood and except for my eldest brother are all still living and soon will all be over 60 years of age.
I think what I found most amazing was how much her children were involved in their lives after taking on the presidency. They certainly managed to protect their children's privacy and raised very wonderful children. God grant them much happiness in the years ahead.
I would think this autobiography will stand amongst the best written books in the years to come. She makes one understand George Bush and his style of presidency. I am certainly glad that I purchased the book and would highly recommend this book to others.
Laura Bush
Published by Simon and Schuster Inc., New York, New York in 2010
ISBN 9781439155202
456 pages, illustrated.
First Lady Laura Bush is a very skillful writer. Her autobiography has let us glimpse into her private life drawing both smiles and tears as one reads her story. Perhaps hidden is her own health story although occasionally one does have glimpses of this as well. She is a strong person and a truly great wife totally supporting her husband as he handled for eight years one of the most difficult jobs in the world.
The details contained in the book were an incredible read. Many of the projects undertaken by this remarkable woman were known to me but there were many that I learned from reading the book. It wasn't until I myself had two children eight years apart that I could understand the pain that one might experience when one does not have siblings. I am one of seven all of whom survived childhood and except for my eldest brother are all still living and soon will all be over 60 years of age.
I think what I found most amazing was how much her children were involved in their lives after taking on the presidency. They certainly managed to protect their children's privacy and raised very wonderful children. God grant them much happiness in the years ahead.
I would think this autobiography will stand amongst the best written books in the years to come. She makes one understand George Bush and his style of presidency. I am certainly glad that I purchased the book and would highly recommend this book to others.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Reading List
- Tracing Your Ancestors in Ireland, Published by Republic of Ireland, undated (Pamphlet). 28 pages.
- The Good Regiment: The Carignan-Salières Regiment in Canada 1665-1668, Jack Verney, Published by McGill-Queens University Press, Montreal & Kingston in 1998, ISBN 978-0-7735-1818-6, 222 pages.
- Tracing Your Dublin Ancestors, James G. Ryan and Brian Smith, Published by Flyleaf Press, Dublin, Ireland in 1998, ISBN 0 9508466 9 4, 106 pages.
- Basic Guide to Irish Records for Family History, Brian Mitchell, Published by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Maryland in 2008, ISBN 978-0-8063-5379-9, 52 pages.
- Irish Passenger lists, 1803-1806: lists of passengers sailing from Ireland to America, Brian Mitchell, Published by Genealogical Publishing Co., Baltimore, Maryland in 1995, ISBN 0806314583, 154 pages.
In the Wake of the Plague: The Black Death and the world it made, Norman F Cantor, Published by Simon and Schuster Inc, New York, New York in 2001, ISBN 0060014342, 245 pages.- King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673, Peter J Gagné, Volumes 1 and 2, Published by Quintin Publications, Orange Park, Florida in 2001, ISBN 1582119503, 663 pages.
- The War for all the Oceans: From Nelson at the Nile to Napoleon at Waterloo, Roy Adkins and Lesley Adkins, Published by Viking Penquin, New York, New York in 2007, ISBN 9780143113928, 534 pages.
- Marco Polo: From Venice to Xanadu, Laurence Bergreen, Published by Vintage Books, New York, New York in 2008, ISBN 9781400078806, 415 pages.
October Sky, Homer Hickam, Published by Dell Publishing, New York, New York in 1998, ISBN 9780440235507, 428 pages.- The Chemical History of a Candle, Michael Faraday, Published by Dover Publications, Mineola, New York in 2002, (originally published in 1885-1889), ISBN 13:9780486425429, 228 pages.
Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life, Nick Lane, Published by Oxford University Press, Oxford, England, in 2005, ISBN 9780199205646, 354 pages.- Lucy's Legacy: The quest for human origins, Donald C Johanson, Published by Random House Inc, New, New York in 2009, ISBN 9780307396402, 321 pages.
- The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Published by Curtis Publishing Company, NewYork, New York in 1992, ISBN 9780306804762, 454 pages.
Spoken from the Heart, Laura Bush, Published by Simon and Schuster Inc., New York, New York in 2010, ISBN 9781439155202, 456 pages.- The Black Death: Natural and Human Disaster in Medieval Europe, Robert S Gottfried, Published by MacMillan Publishing Co. Inc., New York, New York in 1983, ISBN 0029126304, 203 pages.
- The Cousins' Wars: Religion, Politics, and the Triumph of Anglo-America, Kevin Phillips, Published by Basic Books, a member of the Perseus Books Group, New York, New York in 1999, ISBN 0465013694, 707 pages.
- The Last Muster: Images of the Revolutionary War Generation, Maureen Taylor, Printed in China in 2010, ISBN 9781606350553, 177 pages.
- The Alchemy of Air, Thomas Hager, Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York, in 2008, ISBN 9780307351791, 316 pages.
- Entanglement: The unlikely story of how Scientists, Mathematicians, and Philosophers Proved Einstein's Spookiest Theory, Amir D Aczel, Published by the Penquin Group, New York, New York in 2003, ISBN 1568582323, 284 pages.
- Electric Universe: How Electricity switched on the modern world, David Bodanis, Published by Three Rivers Press, New York, New York in 2005, ISBN 9780307335982, 308 pages.
- Charles Darwin: The story of the amateur naturalist who created a scientific revolution and changed the world, Cyril Aydon, Published by Constable & Robinson Ltd, London, England, in 2003, ISBN 1841198013, 326 pages.
- To light such a candle: chapters in the history of science and technology, Keith J Laidler, Published by Oxford University Press Inc, Oxford, England in 1998, ISBN 0198500564, 384 pages.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
William and Kate: a Royal Love Story
William and Kate: A Royal Love Story
Christopher Andersen
Published by Gallery Books, A division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 2011
ISBN 978-1-4516-2145-7
312 p. Illustrated.
In Canada I would be considered a Monarchist and probably that would be obvious given my 100% British ancestry as far back as I can trace although my mtDNA does say I am likely from Argyllshire, Scotland. Hence my reading books about the Royal Family fits quite neatly into my reading regimen. Reading a book about Prince William and Kate his bride to be is especially not surprising given the ancestry of Prince William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana's father was the VIIIth Earl Spencer and the son of the 7th Earl Spencer and Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton. Lady Cynthia was the daughter of the 3rd Duke of Abercorn. The mother of the Duke was Lady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe. Lady Maria was the daughter of Anne Gore. Anne was the daughter of Adm. Sir John Gore. Sir John's father was Colonel John Gore. John's mother was Dorothy Manley and her mother was Mary Newland. Mary's mother was Mary Blake the daughter of Thomas Blake and Dorothy Mayowe.
This Thomas Blake was the son of Thomas Blake and Eleanor Hall who lived at Eastontown near Andover Hampshire. The father of Thomas was John Blake and his mother was Margaret Blake. The Blake Pedigree at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office shows that the fathers of both John and Margaret were a William Blake at Eastontown. In one case William Blake married to Avice Ripley and the other not stated on the chart. If indeed Prince William is descendant of the Andover Blake family then he would be my many times cousin which is somewhat fascinating. A relationship I rather think I would share with several thousand people or perhaps tens of thousands. My husband and I share common ancestry with only two sets of people. He is descended from the ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales through her mother and with Jim Sturgis who is related to him through the Kipp family and to me through the Gray family.
The book itself is an interesting read. One wonders if it is somewhat fiction in that it isn't a biography where he had contact with the two main characters in the story Prince William and Kate Middleton. He also has to rely on the reporting of the paparazzi and I tend to never look at or read anything that is obtained by such methods although gave exception to the book since it does tend to attack their means of obtaining information although did make use of some of it.
I think the saddest image I can remember except for close personal happenings was the televised funeral of Diana Princess of Wales when her two sons joined the funeral cortege following the coffin of their mother. What it cost those children can never really be measured. It has probably created in them a hardness and a tenderness all at the same time which will likely steady them through life but also provide some harrowing remembrances as they proceed forward in time.
I expect their wedding will be viewed by billions around the world and provide an uplift to the spirit of the world now dampened by the many earthquakes, tsunamis and other tragedies that are ongoing.
I would recommend the book although have not summarized it to any great extent perhaps because I do not really agree with opening up their private lives to such scrutiny although when one lives in a fish bowl it is difficult to avoid such reporting.
Christopher Andersen
Published by Gallery Books, A division of Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1230 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 2011
ISBN 978-1-4516-2145-7
312 p. Illustrated.
In Canada I would be considered a Monarchist and probably that would be obvious given my 100% British ancestry as far back as I can trace although my mtDNA does say I am likely from Argyllshire, Scotland. Hence my reading books about the Royal Family fits quite neatly into my reading regimen. Reading a book about Prince William and Kate his bride to be is especially not surprising given the ancestry of Prince William's mother Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana's father was the VIIIth Earl Spencer and the son of the 7th Earl Spencer and Lady Cynthia Elinor Beatrix Hamilton. Lady Cynthia was the daughter of the 3rd Duke of Abercorn. The mother of the Duke was Lady Maria Anna Curzon-Howe. Lady Maria was the daughter of Anne Gore. Anne was the daughter of Adm. Sir John Gore. Sir John's father was Colonel John Gore. John's mother was Dorothy Manley and her mother was Mary Newland. Mary's mother was Mary Blake the daughter of Thomas Blake and Dorothy Mayowe.
This Thomas Blake was the son of Thomas Blake and Eleanor Hall who lived at Eastontown near Andover Hampshire. The father of Thomas was John Blake and his mother was Margaret Blake. The Blake Pedigree at the Swindon and Wiltshire Record Office shows that the fathers of both John and Margaret were a William Blake at Eastontown. In one case William Blake married to Avice Ripley and the other not stated on the chart. If indeed Prince William is descendant of the Andover Blake family then he would be my many times cousin which is somewhat fascinating. A relationship I rather think I would share with several thousand people or perhaps tens of thousands. My husband and I share common ancestry with only two sets of people. He is descended from the ancestors of Diana, Princess of Wales through her mother and with Jim Sturgis who is related to him through the Kipp family and to me through the Gray family.
The book itself is an interesting read. One wonders if it is somewhat fiction in that it isn't a biography where he had contact with the two main characters in the story Prince William and Kate Middleton. He also has to rely on the reporting of the paparazzi and I tend to never look at or read anything that is obtained by such methods although gave exception to the book since it does tend to attack their means of obtaining information although did make use of some of it.
I think the saddest image I can remember except for close personal happenings was the televised funeral of Diana Princess of Wales when her two sons joined the funeral cortege following the coffin of their mother. What it cost those children can never really be measured. It has probably created in them a hardness and a tenderness all at the same time which will likely steady them through life but also provide some harrowing remembrances as they proceed forward in time.
I expect their wedding will be viewed by billions around the world and provide an uplift to the spirit of the world now dampened by the many earthquakes, tsunamis and other tragedies that are ongoing.
I would recommend the book although have not summarized it to any great extent perhaps because I do not really agree with opening up their private lives to such scrutiny although when one lives in a fish bowl it is difficult to avoid such reporting.
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider
Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider
Amir D. Aczel
Published by Crown Publishers, New York in 2010
ISBN 978-0-307-59167-8
272 p. Illustrated
Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider leads me back to my first course in Quantum Physics -fascinating stuff back in the mid 1960s. Our year of Honours Chemistry was the first year to take Quantum Physics - I have forgotten now what course my husband took (he was one year ahead of me in Chemistry).
Although not a Physics scholar by any means; I enjoyed physics and especially mechanics. I like working through those dreadfully difficult problems. But I found chemistry fascinating and hence that is where I spent my university days - in a chemistry laboratory for the most part when we weren't taking classes or enjoying coffee (I do not actually drink coffee) in the cafeteria. We were a small class (i.e. 16 if I remember correctly). I finished my third of four years of Honours Chemistry but got married and finished off my degree as a pass degree hence B.A. after my name although 98% of my courses were in mathematics and science!
The first chapter of the book takes one directly into the CERN facility which straddles the border between France and Switzerland (mostly underground) and introduces you to all the main players - all PhD physicists primarily. My husband's PhD is in Chemistry but then he mnoved on from the pursuit of science to a professional degree in Librarianship where he spent his working days at the National Research Council in the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information. A brand new building when we arrived in Ottawa with a brand new daughter thirty five years ago in one month's time.
How does this book fit into genealogy? It doesn't except for the nagging question that is always there in one's mind especially after you do your mtDNA test. Where did we come from? How far back can we trace ourselves looking at our mtDNA? Creating the "Big Bang" that is believed to have started our atoms on their way towards the fulfilled Homo sapiens that we now represent. Will we evolve further? What new traits can we/will we acquire as the line moves forward in time? With five great grand nephews our family genes move forward in time although with a different surname. I find even yet there isn't that strong desire for grandchildren that so many have by my age. Perhaps when I am 75 I will feel that desire but somehow I doubt it. I tend to just live by the day thanking God for each new morning and trying to accomplish as much in His Name as I can each day. For truly I see my pursuit of genealogy as a task for God as I lovingly transcribe the ancient texts of the Church - Parish Records. It is something that I can do as my part in the Great Quest.
Chapters two and three take us inside the CERN facility and discuss the history of Quantum Mechanics starting in the late 1800s and continuing up to the present. The cooperation between members of the team at CERN is wonderful to behold and one can expect great happenings to come from their research. Fear of the "Black Hole" creation when performing tests at CERN seem to have disappeared these days and we all await their scientific discoveries.
I then read the appendices (a, b, and c) which detail the workings of the Large Hadron Collider at ATLAS, give details on the meaning of terms and definitions. Probably a good idea to read this material near the beginning of the book.
Chapters four through seven discuss antimatter and why we still exist (antimatter does not exist in our universe but did exist at the time of the "Big Bang" as hypothesized by quantum physicists) and the development of the theory that positrons, muons and tau particles existed and then the eventual experiments that proved their existence with respect to the science that evolved to show their existence. It is all theoretical and reminds me of the extension of the Periodic Table where new elements (that do not occur presently in nature) are added that decay rapidly to smaller elements plus other particles in tiny measurable time. However, it is fascinating to read and I am now up to the years of study when I took Quantum Physics at University. From now on in the book the discussion is on theoretical physics after my year of Quantum Physics.
I love the references that the author makes to the "God" factor. As one delves deeper and deeper into science and why we are here one can only have a stronger and stronger opinion on the existence of God in all of this. That creating hand directing the symphony of life as it emerges from the primordial soup of creation. Else why does antimatter disappear from our universe permitting us to develop through the eons to where we are now trying to view this act of creation.
This then shows why I whose interest is 100% genealogy these days would stop and read this rather fascinating book - Present at the Creation. Perhaps also our trip through Europe which passed (probably 50 miles distant) near to the CERN facility reminding me once again of the ever persistent desire of man/woman to know the mode of creation and how we arrived at this point in time. All of our science these days is geared to an understanding of evolution and how it transpired from second one of our universe. Genealogy itself has become consumed by DNA research.
Chapter 8 discusses quarks and the quark-gluon primordial soup which is theorized to have existed following the "Big Bang." Quarks (and now we are into the search for the Higgs factor) were then drawn together in a systematic fashion to produce elements gradually over time. From this life emerged in a slow process where man's existence is but a short period of that emergence. Genealogy unfolding in our universe.
Chapter 9 discusses the Higgs Boson and the existence of which would prove the Standard Model conceived for Physics. Not all physicists agree with the existence of the Higgs Boson which was produced by a break in the symmetry of nature. The best explanation I have seen thus far is the idea of walking through a field unimpeded which would be like a walk through the primordial soup immediately following creation - no mass to impede you. Then a snowfall occurs (i.e. a cooling) and then your way is impeded by the snow and clumps appear on your shoes thus giving mass to the primordial soup. The Higgs boson is born. Further testing at CERN will prove or disprove the Higgs boson.
Chapter 10 continues the discussion on the Higgs factor and convergence of energies at the time of the "Big Bang." No solution has yet been found to prove convergence and so the Standard Model conceived may yet undergo further change. A difficult chapter and the rest will also be somewhat difficult. My Quantum mechanics is very old in my mind but I will complete the book to see if I can acquire an understanding of dark matter and dark energy.
Chapters 11 to 14 bring us back to CERN and projects there. The reminder of Occam's Razor that the simplest theory is probably the correct one. Physics' Standard Model evolved in the latter part of the 20th century towards "beauty" in the style of presentation because nature itself tends towards the beautiful with symmetry being the usual style. These chapters lead us through the dance of this time period and we sit waiting for the results of the experiments at CERN. Discovering dark mass and dark energy have become the principal goals because postulations about the convergence of all energies (including gravity) immediately following the "Big Bang" work based on the idea of dark mass and dark energy surpassing even the search for the Higgs boson. All of this work lead to String Theory and the solution of the entropy of black holes. But String Theory is also dependent on the tests at CERN although has justified its existence with the solution of entropy. All of this discussion has led to a fear that the tests at CERN will create tiny black holes that could grow and destroy our universe. Although refuted by many eminent scientists the author leaves us wondering about the tests at CERN and here we are awaiting those results.
The Afterword talks about 30 Mar 2010 when the target level of 7 TeV was reached for the two beams of protons (3.5 TeV for each stream one clockwise and one counterclockwise). They were then collided at 12:58 p.m. European time. The 14 Tev needed to mimic the Big Bang is projected for 2013.
Excellent book although quite heavy in terminology but if you are patient and work your way through the difficult parts you are rewarded at the end of the book with an interesting view of the 2010 test and what is anticipated to be proven. Then the look ahead to the 2013 testing.
Amir D. Aczel
Published by Crown Publishers, New York in 2010
ISBN 978-0-307-59167-8
272 p. Illustrated
Present at the Creation: The story of CERN and the Large Hadron Collider leads me back to my first course in Quantum Physics -fascinating stuff back in the mid 1960s. Our year of Honours Chemistry was the first year to take Quantum Physics - I have forgotten now what course my husband took (he was one year ahead of me in Chemistry).
Although not a Physics scholar by any means; I enjoyed physics and especially mechanics. I like working through those dreadfully difficult problems. But I found chemistry fascinating and hence that is where I spent my university days - in a chemistry laboratory for the most part when we weren't taking classes or enjoying coffee (I do not actually drink coffee) in the cafeteria. We were a small class (i.e. 16 if I remember correctly). I finished my third of four years of Honours Chemistry but got married and finished off my degree as a pass degree hence B.A. after my name although 98% of my courses were in mathematics and science!
The first chapter of the book takes one directly into the CERN facility which straddles the border between France and Switzerland (mostly underground) and introduces you to all the main players - all PhD physicists primarily. My husband's PhD is in Chemistry but then he mnoved on from the pursuit of science to a professional degree in Librarianship where he spent his working days at the National Research Council in the Canadian Institute for Scientific and Technical Information. A brand new building when we arrived in Ottawa with a brand new daughter thirty five years ago in one month's time.
How does this book fit into genealogy? It doesn't except for the nagging question that is always there in one's mind especially after you do your mtDNA test. Where did we come from? How far back can we trace ourselves looking at our mtDNA? Creating the "Big Bang" that is believed to have started our atoms on their way towards the fulfilled Homo sapiens that we now represent. Will we evolve further? What new traits can we/will we acquire as the line moves forward in time? With five great grand nephews our family genes move forward in time although with a different surname. I find even yet there isn't that strong desire for grandchildren that so many have by my age. Perhaps when I am 75 I will feel that desire but somehow I doubt it. I tend to just live by the day thanking God for each new morning and trying to accomplish as much in His Name as I can each day. For truly I see my pursuit of genealogy as a task for God as I lovingly transcribe the ancient texts of the Church - Parish Records. It is something that I can do as my part in the Great Quest.
Chapters two and three take us inside the CERN facility and discuss the history of Quantum Mechanics starting in the late 1800s and continuing up to the present. The cooperation between members of the team at CERN is wonderful to behold and one can expect great happenings to come from their research. Fear of the "Black Hole" creation when performing tests at CERN seem to have disappeared these days and we all await their scientific discoveries.
I then read the appendices (a, b, and c) which detail the workings of the Large Hadron Collider at ATLAS, give details on the meaning of terms and definitions. Probably a good idea to read this material near the beginning of the book.
Chapters four through seven discuss antimatter and why we still exist (antimatter does not exist in our universe but did exist at the time of the "Big Bang" as hypothesized by quantum physicists) and the development of the theory that positrons, muons and tau particles existed and then the eventual experiments that proved their existence with respect to the science that evolved to show their existence. It is all theoretical and reminds me of the extension of the Periodic Table where new elements (that do not occur presently in nature) are added that decay rapidly to smaller elements plus other particles in tiny measurable time. However, it is fascinating to read and I am now up to the years of study when I took Quantum Physics at University. From now on in the book the discussion is on theoretical physics after my year of Quantum Physics.
I love the references that the author makes to the "God" factor. As one delves deeper and deeper into science and why we are here one can only have a stronger and stronger opinion on the existence of God in all of this. That creating hand directing the symphony of life as it emerges from the primordial soup of creation. Else why does antimatter disappear from our universe permitting us to develop through the eons to where we are now trying to view this act of creation.
This then shows why I whose interest is 100% genealogy these days would stop and read this rather fascinating book - Present at the Creation. Perhaps also our trip through Europe which passed (probably 50 miles distant) near to the CERN facility reminding me once again of the ever persistent desire of man/woman to know the mode of creation and how we arrived at this point in time. All of our science these days is geared to an understanding of evolution and how it transpired from second one of our universe. Genealogy itself has become consumed by DNA research.
Chapter 8 discusses quarks and the quark-gluon primordial soup which is theorized to have existed following the "Big Bang." Quarks (and now we are into the search for the Higgs factor) were then drawn together in a systematic fashion to produce elements gradually over time. From this life emerged in a slow process where man's existence is but a short period of that emergence. Genealogy unfolding in our universe.
Chapter 9 discusses the Higgs Boson and the existence of which would prove the Standard Model conceived for Physics. Not all physicists agree with the existence of the Higgs Boson which was produced by a break in the symmetry of nature. The best explanation I have seen thus far is the idea of walking through a field unimpeded which would be like a walk through the primordial soup immediately following creation - no mass to impede you. Then a snowfall occurs (i.e. a cooling) and then your way is impeded by the snow and clumps appear on your shoes thus giving mass to the primordial soup. The Higgs boson is born. Further testing at CERN will prove or disprove the Higgs boson.
Chapter 10 continues the discussion on the Higgs factor and convergence of energies at the time of the "Big Bang." No solution has yet been found to prove convergence and so the Standard Model conceived may yet undergo further change. A difficult chapter and the rest will also be somewhat difficult. My Quantum mechanics is very old in my mind but I will complete the book to see if I can acquire an understanding of dark matter and dark energy.
Chapters 11 to 14 bring us back to CERN and projects there. The reminder of Occam's Razor that the simplest theory is probably the correct one. Physics' Standard Model evolved in the latter part of the 20th century towards "beauty" in the style of presentation because nature itself tends towards the beautiful with symmetry being the usual style. These chapters lead us through the dance of this time period and we sit waiting for the results of the experiments at CERN. Discovering dark mass and dark energy have become the principal goals because postulations about the convergence of all energies (including gravity) immediately following the "Big Bang" work based on the idea of dark mass and dark energy surpassing even the search for the Higgs boson. All of this work lead to String Theory and the solution of the entropy of black holes. But String Theory is also dependent on the tests at CERN although has justified its existence with the solution of entropy. All of this discussion has led to a fear that the tests at CERN will create tiny black holes that could grow and destroy our universe. Although refuted by many eminent scientists the author leaves us wondering about the tests at CERN and here we are awaiting those results.
The Afterword talks about 30 Mar 2010 when the target level of 7 TeV was reached for the two beams of protons (3.5 TeV for each stream one clockwise and one counterclockwise). They were then collided at 12:58 p.m. European time. The 14 Tev needed to mimic the Big Bang is projected for 2013.
Excellent book although quite heavy in terminology but if you are patient and work your way through the difficult parts you are rewarded at the end of the book with an interesting view of the 2010 test and what is anticipated to be proven. Then the look ahead to the 2013 testing.
Monday, March 21, 2011
The Drunkard's Walk How Randomness Rules our Lives
The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives
Leonard Mlodinow
Published by Vintage Books, division of Random House Inc., New York, USA in 2008
ISBN. 978-0-307-27517-2
252 Pages.
This book is from my daughter's collection of books. We have similar reading interests - rather random actually! The book caught my eye because it talks about randomness and how events that are random affect our lives. I love the imagery in the introduction which talks about random events being like molecules moving through time and space and how they may accidentally bump into or otherwise affect each other. I see life events as being like that and these "encounters" affect how our life flows.
The first chapter introduces us to concepts of dealing with randomness and the resultant tendency of success or failure as determined by random events. Mostly he talks about successful films and film studios. The idea that J K Rowling was refused six times for her initial book on Harry Potter is hard to imagine given the eventual success of both her novels and the subsequent films. It is persistent rather than randomness that determines success the author mentions and I need to read the rest of the book now to determine if I agree with his thesis.
My own life events that led me to genealogy are one such set of random events. We, my eldest daughter and I, went to Rome for eight days in November 2001 (yes it was an interesting time to fly to Europe and be there in the days following 9/11). This was an organized visit in that we were to attend a specific religious event the invitation for which I obtained via the Anglican newslist to which I belonged. The time we spent in Rome was absolutely wonderful and I appreciate it even more now that we have had our whirlwind tour of Europe where our time in Rome (2 days) was great but can not compare to spending eight days there even with the organized tours that swept us past long lineups. But it was here that for the first time I had a concrete thought about my ancestors and what they might or might not have done in the past. As I stood in front of St Peter's Basilica for the first time I wondered, aloud, whether any of my ancestors had made this pilgrimage to Rome (for that is how I saw it). Later as we traveled to the second city of our European trip (London) I experienced even more profound thoughts on fammily and front that experience (although it took another two years) was borne the desire to learn more about my ancestors. The randomness by which I reached the project that now occupies most of my waking hours (and sometimes my sleeping ones) has constantly amazed me and so this book has entered into my realm of thoughts. The randomness of life events bounces us one way or another like molecules in nature.
Continuing into Chapters Two, Three and Four the author carries us forward with his thesis on randomness and how it rules our lives. Comments that I found particularly interesting:
Probability wasn't particularly interesting up to the 1500s because one felt that their life was predetermined by the Gods initially (God in the case of the Jews and Gods in the case of Romans and Greeks) so that looking at the probability of a life event was not meaningful since all life events were predetermined.
Then the idea of events in a space that one could then determine the chances of a particular event occurring was first discussed by Gerolamo Cardano in his book "Games of Chance" which from the viewpoint of accuracy fails that test somewhat but does represent the first documentation of probability or the nature of uncertainty. His book was actually published after his death and the discussion of his life is quite interesting and will leave that to other readers to discover.
Enter Pascal in Chapter four and the development of Pascal's triangle which we still use today to look at the number of choices one can have for a particular case study. I found it quite fascinating that the details of Pascal's life story eventually lead him to make a decision on the existence of God and how he should lead his life with respect to God's existence. Again the reader should not have his/her reading spoiled by my book report and so I leave the details to the reader.
Now that I am nearly half way through the book, I look once again at Genealogy and how it occupies my life - basically all my waking hours are mostly directed towards achieving the maximum number of details possible on my ancestors. Not so much that I may solve all the riddles but that I leave the material thus found in such a fashion that another family researcher can pick my material up and run with it. Solving one's past opens one's eyes to the future in a way that I had not realized before in my life. Not that one can avoid the problems of life; that is highly unlikely but one can see that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. An old philosophy always says that when God closes the door He opens a window so that one does escape but the escape may not always be viewed as success by those who view it. It is an interesting conundrum - what one person may view as failure another may see as great success.
Chapters six and seven discuss error and how error was derived. For every measurement there is an error factor whether caused by the machine used to perform the measurement or your own eyes which may not regard the particular measurement line at the same angle. Error exists in all that we do although we constantly strive to minimize that error. Bell curves now enter into the discussion and having written this absolutely difficult physics examination in Grade 13 in Ontario back in 1963 which few could possibly have passed, I can appreciate that a bell curve is the best means by which one might judge the fairness of an examination since you have so many people writing it from so many different areas with so many different teachers. Mind you I prefer the idea of standardized testing across a given area (province sounds reasonable) and that it might count for 100% as it allows for a student to really show their abilities. It may also be the downfall of a student who doesn't test well that is for sure but the alternative in my day was to send the student elsewhere to attend university (not always practical). But I dither once again and return to Bell Curves which should have absolutely nothing to do with genealogy or do they? Well yes they do; as I transcribe fromn these old registers I attempt to be consistent in how I read the letters but there is one difficulty in that people were not always consisent in how they fornmed those letters I am so carefully trying to read and so there is an error term. I attempt to minimize that error term by reviewing the page to see if there are other letters formed like that and by referring to the entire word and the probability it is one item or another - like Smith or Jones (easily told apart) but how about Smith and Spratt when letters are smudged or missing over time. Well it is an interesting time and I find that I quite enjoy it in spite of the propensity for error. I know that once I publish these files that others will go in and have a look and possibly write mne and say I do not agree. I welcome such comments as it can only make the work better.
I am now moving to the last couple of chapters of the book and I can say this has been a most fascinating read. I had forgotten Lavoisier (father of Chemistry) was beheaded by the French revolutionists. What more would he have accomplished in his lifetime - what a loss!
Chaptter 8 amazingly has some application to genealogy in that the statistical measurement of "human events" now enters into the field of randomness ruling our lives. A chart created by John Gaunt looking at the mortality statistics which the English kept for London from the 1600s on has a table on the mortality of 100 people who by the age of 6 would number 74, by the age of 16 would be 40, by the age of 26 would be 25, by the age of 36 would be 16, by the age of 46 would be 10, by the age of 56 would be 6, by the age of 66 would be 3, by the age of 76 would be 1 with no one living after that time. This is of course an average as some lived longer and some shorter. These are the life tables that were then used by insurance companies and the World Health Organization amazingly. In 1667 the French began to keep such information on their citizens - particularly the effect of the plague on their populations.
Chapter 9 discusses personal biais and how it influences how we perceive items in our daily life. It is something that I have been very way of doing genealogy. A lot of information on some of my lines has been published and in many cases the original data was flawed. I wonder, to myself, why do people repeat this flawed data but then initially I too saw the data as published but eventually resolved that I could find no proof or the data was actually incorrect and I have removed it from my tree. Why do other people cling to the published results that have been proven to be erroneous in published literature? Again the author captures this reason. People inherently will follow what has been done and accept it rather than be pessimistic and refute it. It is neater and hence produces a pattern that can then be established. Fortunately people are opposed to this copycat assessment of the past and more and more are questioning earlier writings. However, the author alludes to fraud that follows the acceptance of statistics in our day to day life. Because it has been written thus it is true has become a common statement particularly on the stock market. Enormous failures have perhaps pointed out to the investor that fraud can and does occur.
The last chapter repeats part of the title: The drunkard's walk. What predicts success in life? can one control one's success in life? These are the queries presented in the last chapter and Bill Gates was one of the stars. But the author determines that success is by chance although one can input into those chances to improve the success rate. I think of myself very successfully giving talks on DNA with repeat requests when suddenly I stopped. It wasn't for lack of things to say but rather direction. This wasn't the direction I wanted to move in and so I passed up on success to continue my pursuit of the past and I am happier for it. Had I been younger would I have moved that way? Probably not, I was more interested in success in my business than in my pursuit of ancestry!
I would highly recommend this book. It is a fantastic diversion from genealogy and yet it, like my pursuit of our son in law's ancestry sharpened my skills in genealogy. I must steer away from allowing my preconceived notions to colour how I read results.
Leonard Mlodinow
Published by Vintage Books, division of Random House Inc., New York, USA in 2008
ISBN. 978-0-307-27517-2
252 Pages.
This book is from my daughter's collection of books. We have similar reading interests - rather random actually! The book caught my eye because it talks about randomness and how events that are random affect our lives. I love the imagery in the introduction which talks about random events being like molecules moving through time and space and how they may accidentally bump into or otherwise affect each other. I see life events as being like that and these "encounters" affect how our life flows.
The first chapter introduces us to concepts of dealing with randomness and the resultant tendency of success or failure as determined by random events. Mostly he talks about successful films and film studios. The idea that J K Rowling was refused six times for her initial book on Harry Potter is hard to imagine given the eventual success of both her novels and the subsequent films. It is persistent rather than randomness that determines success the author mentions and I need to read the rest of the book now to determine if I agree with his thesis.
My own life events that led me to genealogy are one such set of random events. We, my eldest daughter and I, went to Rome for eight days in November 2001 (yes it was an interesting time to fly to Europe and be there in the days following 9/11). This was an organized visit in that we were to attend a specific religious event the invitation for which I obtained via the Anglican newslist to which I belonged. The time we spent in Rome was absolutely wonderful and I appreciate it even more now that we have had our whirlwind tour of Europe where our time in Rome (2 days) was great but can not compare to spending eight days there even with the organized tours that swept us past long lineups. But it was here that for the first time I had a concrete thought about my ancestors and what they might or might not have done in the past. As I stood in front of St Peter's Basilica for the first time I wondered, aloud, whether any of my ancestors had made this pilgrimage to Rome (for that is how I saw it). Later as we traveled to the second city of our European trip (London) I experienced even more profound thoughts on fammily and front that experience (although it took another two years) was borne the desire to learn more about my ancestors. The randomness by which I reached the project that now occupies most of my waking hours (and sometimes my sleeping ones) has constantly amazed me and so this book has entered into my realm of thoughts. The randomness of life events bounces us one way or another like molecules in nature.
Continuing into Chapters Two, Three and Four the author carries us forward with his thesis on randomness and how it rules our lives. Comments that I found particularly interesting:
Probability wasn't particularly interesting up to the 1500s because one felt that their life was predetermined by the Gods initially (God in the case of the Jews and Gods in the case of Romans and Greeks) so that looking at the probability of a life event was not meaningful since all life events were predetermined.
Then the idea of events in a space that one could then determine the chances of a particular event occurring was first discussed by Gerolamo Cardano in his book "Games of Chance" which from the viewpoint of accuracy fails that test somewhat but does represent the first documentation of probability or the nature of uncertainty. His book was actually published after his death and the discussion of his life is quite interesting and will leave that to other readers to discover.
Enter Pascal in Chapter four and the development of Pascal's triangle which we still use today to look at the number of choices one can have for a particular case study. I found it quite fascinating that the details of Pascal's life story eventually lead him to make a decision on the existence of God and how he should lead his life with respect to God's existence. Again the reader should not have his/her reading spoiled by my book report and so I leave the details to the reader.
Now that I am nearly half way through the book, I look once again at Genealogy and how it occupies my life - basically all my waking hours are mostly directed towards achieving the maximum number of details possible on my ancestors. Not so much that I may solve all the riddles but that I leave the material thus found in such a fashion that another family researcher can pick my material up and run with it. Solving one's past opens one's eyes to the future in a way that I had not realized before in my life. Not that one can avoid the problems of life; that is highly unlikely but one can see that there is always a light at the end of the tunnel. An old philosophy always says that when God closes the door He opens a window so that one does escape but the escape may not always be viewed as success by those who view it. It is an interesting conundrum - what one person may view as failure another may see as great success.
Chapters six and seven discuss error and how error was derived. For every measurement there is an error factor whether caused by the machine used to perform the measurement or your own eyes which may not regard the particular measurement line at the same angle. Error exists in all that we do although we constantly strive to minimize that error. Bell curves now enter into the discussion and having written this absolutely difficult physics examination in Grade 13 in Ontario back in 1963 which few could possibly have passed, I can appreciate that a bell curve is the best means by which one might judge the fairness of an examination since you have so many people writing it from so many different areas with so many different teachers. Mind you I prefer the idea of standardized testing across a given area (province sounds reasonable) and that it might count for 100% as it allows for a student to really show their abilities. It may also be the downfall of a student who doesn't test well that is for sure but the alternative in my day was to send the student elsewhere to attend university (not always practical). But I dither once again and return to Bell Curves which should have absolutely nothing to do with genealogy or do they? Well yes they do; as I transcribe fromn these old registers I attempt to be consistent in how I read the letters but there is one difficulty in that people were not always consisent in how they fornmed those letters I am so carefully trying to read and so there is an error term. I attempt to minimize that error term by reviewing the page to see if there are other letters formed like that and by referring to the entire word and the probability it is one item or another - like Smith or Jones (easily told apart) but how about Smith and Spratt when letters are smudged or missing over time. Well it is an interesting time and I find that I quite enjoy it in spite of the propensity for error. I know that once I publish these files that others will go in and have a look and possibly write mne and say I do not agree. I welcome such comments as it can only make the work better.
I am now moving to the last couple of chapters of the book and I can say this has been a most fascinating read. I had forgotten Lavoisier (father of Chemistry) was beheaded by the French revolutionists. What more would he have accomplished in his lifetime - what a loss!
Chaptter 8 amazingly has some application to genealogy in that the statistical measurement of "human events" now enters into the field of randomness ruling our lives. A chart created by John Gaunt looking at the mortality statistics which the English kept for London from the 1600s on has a table on the mortality of 100 people who by the age of 6 would number 74, by the age of 16 would be 40, by the age of 26 would be 25, by the age of 36 would be 16, by the age of 46 would be 10, by the age of 56 would be 6, by the age of 66 would be 3, by the age of 76 would be 1 with no one living after that time. This is of course an average as some lived longer and some shorter. These are the life tables that were then used by insurance companies and the World Health Organization amazingly. In 1667 the French began to keep such information on their citizens - particularly the effect of the plague on their populations.
Chapter 9 discusses personal biais and how it influences how we perceive items in our daily life. It is something that I have been very way of doing genealogy. A lot of information on some of my lines has been published and in many cases the original data was flawed. I wonder, to myself, why do people repeat this flawed data but then initially I too saw the data as published but eventually resolved that I could find no proof or the data was actually incorrect and I have removed it from my tree. Why do other people cling to the published results that have been proven to be erroneous in published literature? Again the author captures this reason. People inherently will follow what has been done and accept it rather than be pessimistic and refute it. It is neater and hence produces a pattern that can then be established. Fortunately people are opposed to this copycat assessment of the past and more and more are questioning earlier writings. However, the author alludes to fraud that follows the acceptance of statistics in our day to day life. Because it has been written thus it is true has become a common statement particularly on the stock market. Enormous failures have perhaps pointed out to the investor that fraud can and does occur.
The last chapter repeats part of the title: The drunkard's walk. What predicts success in life? can one control one's success in life? These are the queries presented in the last chapter and Bill Gates was one of the stars. But the author determines that success is by chance although one can input into those chances to improve the success rate. I think of myself very successfully giving talks on DNA with repeat requests when suddenly I stopped. It wasn't for lack of things to say but rather direction. This wasn't the direction I wanted to move in and so I passed up on success to continue my pursuit of the past and I am happier for it. Had I been younger would I have moved that way? Probably not, I was more interested in success in my business than in my pursuit of ancestry!
I would highly recommend this book. It is a fantastic diversion from genealogy and yet it, like my pursuit of our son in law's ancestry sharpened my skills in genealogy. I must steer away from allowing my preconceived notions to colour how I read results.
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