丁肇中 (Samuel Chao Chung Ting) and the naming of J Particle

I was writing about quarks last night, I might as well talk about the naming of J particle that Dr. Samuel Chao Chung Ting (丁肇中) discovered.

In his 1976 Nobel Lecture Professor Ting (丁肇中) explained how he named the J particle, but I think there is more to it,

Samuel C.C. Ting

“We discussed the name of the new particle for some time. Someone pointed out to me that the really exciting stable particles are designated by Roman characters - like the postulated W₀ , the intermediate vector boson, the Z₀ , etc. - whereas the “classical” particles have Greek designations like ρ, ω, etc. This, combined with the fact that our work in the last decade had been concentrated on the electromagnetic current j_μ(x), gave us the idea to call this particle the J particle.”

Samuel C.C. Ting's team

It didn’t escape my notice that his last name in Chinese (丁) is very similar to “J”.  He named the particle after him sophistically and not so subtly and he had every right to do so.  He had good reason to be sensitive as Burton Richter (from Stanford Linear Accelerator Center) also discovered independently the same particle almost at the same time.  In fact, the discovery was announced by both teams at the same day (11/11/1974) and they shared the Nobel Prizes 2 years later.

Burton Richter called the particle psi/Ψ. I bet Richter knew the similarity of Chinese “丁” and the English letter “J”.  This is why this 4^th quart is now known as J/psi particle or J/Ψ particle. 

Burton Richter

It is safe to say that J/psi (or J/Ψ) particle is the 4^th quark discovered. Ting said J particle “may be a bound state of two new quarks”.  As we know Murray Gell-Mann named his discovery of the three quarks after the phrase of “Three quarks for Muster Mark” in James Joyce’s “Finnegan’s Wake”.  This led Burton Richter to say in his 1976 Nobel Lecture,

“. . . original Gell-Mann/Zweig 3-quark scheme.  The motivation at that time was more esthetic than practical, and these models gradually expired for want of an experimental fact . . .”

Burton Richter, like Richard Feynman and Baruch Blumberg (who discovered Australia Antigen, now known as hepatitis B surface antigen), all come from Far Rockaway High School, a Jewish neighborhood in New York City (borough of Queens).  A high school produced 3 Nobel laureates.  In fact, two Nobel laureates from this high school were honored in 1976 (Richter and Blumberg). Sadly Bernard Madoff was also an alumnus; sadly the school was closed in 2011.

Quark and Murray Gell-Mann, a Renaissance man in science

Wall Street Journal (WSJ) began to have a weekly column of “Week in Words” of late; one of the words on the list of the weekend of January 21 was “quark” (see photo right).   

I knew it came from the physicist Murray Gell-Mann who is also an acclaimed linguist and can read and speak many (at least 6 or 7) languages.  His 1969 Nobel Lecture is somehow not available on the nobel.com site, but one can listen an interview that took place in 2001, in which he did say it came from James Joyce’s “Finnegan’s Wake”.  Watch this interview video, you’ll know why he is on my list of Renaissance men/women in science.

http://www.nobelprize.org/mediaplayer/index.php?id=386

A letter-to-editor at WSJ today (January 30, see photo below) prompted me to write this post.  I often said letter-to-editor at times outdid the original article it comments, and this is an example.   

Murray Gell-Mann

The letter writer traced the word ‘quark’ back to Goethe’s “Faust” and he did it splendidly.  Richard Feynman once picked up “Faust” and put it down saying it didn’t make sense to him.  Richard Feynman and Murray Gell-Mann (at Caltech) in 1958 greatly revised Fermi’s theory (which is not the topic of interest in this writing).  I just want to say great scientists come in many faces.  Feynman couldn’t tolerate any non-science/math reading; he was thrilled when he learned that the Descriptive Astronomy can be considered a required humanity course when he was an undergraduate at MIT.  Feynman writes very well in his unique style.  And yet Gell-Mann is an avid James Joyce reader.  I once checked out “Finnegan’s Wake” from library and simply couldn’t read it. “It didn't make sense to me.”


Many years ago Janice brought to my attention of Alan Lightman’s “The Discoveries”; I spotted it at Half Price Books a year or two ago and gladly paid $9.98 for the hard-cover book, quite a bargain.  The Chapter 21 is “Quarks: A tiniest essence of matter”.  I better not go there lest this post would be too dry and unreadable.   

In the Dark Streets Shineth: A 1941 Christmas Eve Story

“In the Dark Streets Shineth” is a booklet telling the 1941 White House Christmas eve story. Shortly after the Pearl Harbor, Churchill, sailing across the Atlantic, came and stayed in the White House for about 3 weeks. The historian David McCullough told this story in the 2010 annual Christmas concert of Mormon Tabernacle Choir. He talked about the history of two classic American Christmas carols: one is “O Little Town of Bethlehem” which Churchill had never heard before and the other is “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” which was recorded by Bing Crosby during the war in 1943. The booklet comes with a DVD in which McCullough narrates the story and Tabernacle Choir sings the two songs.

Both FDR and Churchill gave the uplifting Christmas messages in the darkest hour of the history of human suffering, thus the name of the booklet, “In the Dark Streets Shineth”.

During that visit the Roosevelts took Churchill to Mount Vernon by way of Christ Church, Alexandria, where they sang Battle Hymn of the Republic, sitting in George Washington’s pew. 

The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Mormon Tabernacle Choir,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QSiVjlknuSw

http://doctorjytsai.blogspot.com/2011/05/singing-battle-hymn-of-republic-at.html

Dr. Wang Chung-Cheng went to Washington D.C. for a convention last May; we took him to Mt. Vernon, re-enacting FDR-Churchill’s trip.

David McCullough narrating the stories of classic American Christmas carols

FDR & Churchill at the Christmas Eve Celebration 1941

Photo credits to the booklet mentioned above.

FDR greeted Churchill at the White House 12/22/1941

A crowd of 20,000 gathered facing the White House balcony on Christmas Eve 1941

McCullough with Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra

 

Katy’s report in World Journal (世界日報): OCA celebrates Chinese Lunar New Year

(Katy’s dispatch to World Journal, 世界日報, reporting the Chinese Lunar New Year celebration by Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA, 美華協會匹茲堡分會), was published today, January 26.  You may read directly the online version.)

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/17294918/article-%E5%8C%B9%E8%8C%B2%E5%A0%A1%E7%BE%8E%E8%8F%AF%E5%8D%94%E6%9C%83-%E6%AD%8C%E8%88%9E%E6%85%B6%E9%BE%8D%E5%B9%B4?instance=nj2

 

The “Exit Rabbit, Enter Dragon” festive event took place at Syria Shrine Center (敘利亞廟堂) on January 21, 2012.  More than 300 people, bracing the snow, attended and enjoyed a lovely and lively evening.

On behalf of OCA, the daughter of the dance teacher, Chiapih Shaw (謝家碧) invited the winners of five states pageants (Vermont, Connecticut, Indiana, Pennsylvania and West Virginia—they are to compete for the title of Miss America) to attend the celebration.  The winners of Miss Teen state pageants were also invited.  Their presence added glamour and enhanced the festive mood.  Kiara Lin, the Butler County Young Miss, was also present.  They were busy signing photos.

The masters of ceremony were Timyka Artist (from Channel 11 TV News) and Karen Yee (余月紅).  There were many honor guests that included Congressman Tim Murphy, the president of Chinese Association for Science and Technology (CAST-P), Zipei Tu (涂子沛), the president of Chinese Restaurant Association, Michael Chen (陳飛) and Dali Lee (李大立) from Tzu-Chi Foundation.

Karen Yee announced the winners of Congress Service Award: Emily Kuo and Myah Olson (歐頌萍).  The entertainment was provided by OCA, Tzu-Chi and Zang TKD.  The program included splendid performance of music and dance that was painstakingly planned by Chiapih Shaw (謝家碧) and her daughter—Feather Fan Dance (羽扇舞), Welcoming the New Year (迎新年), Spring Showers (春舞), Flag Dance (揮旗舞) and Ribbon Dance (彩帶 舞).  The highlight of the program was the fashion show that exhibits the beauty and dignity of the Qing Dynasty Court.

All guests were treated with scrumptious cuisines provided by the Chinese Restaurant Association. The proceeds from the raffle tickets sale and the red envelopes ‘devoured’ by the lions in the Lion Dance will be used as the OCA charitable funds.

OCA President Andy Ai (艾元方) stated that OCA has sponsored many activities, actively participated in Pittsburgh local and national affairs, promote Chinese culture, advocated and ensured Asian Pacific American civil right.  Those who are interested in becoming an OCA member, please get the info online, http://www.ocapghpa.org/. (Katy Tsai, 張瓊月)

(The following is Katy’s dispatch.)

匹茲堡美華協會 歌舞慶龍年

【賓州匹茲堡訊】 世界新聞網 北美華文新聞、華商資訊

January 26, 2012 06:00 AM

  

美華協會匹茲堡分會在除夕夜假敘利亞廟堂（Syria Shrine Center）舉行龍年新春聯歡晚宴，300多位華洋人士冒著風雪出席，場面熱鬧非凡.

民族舞蹈老師謝家碧女兒邀請十位分別獲得佛蒙特州、康乃狄克州、印第安納州、賓州、西維吉尼亞州選美優勝的美國小姐與妙齡小姐，以及賓州巴特勒郡小姐、華裔林文玉一起參加中國年晚宴，她們在會場分贈各界來賓五州佳麗的簽名合照.

當晚節目由11號電視台的阿替斯（Timyka Artist）與余月紅（Karen Yee）主持，與會嘉賓包括賓州國會眾議員墨菲（Tim Murphy）、中國旅美科技協會主席涂子沛、中國餐飲協會理事長陳飛、慈濟負責人李大立等.

余 月紅在會中宣布，今年美華協會的國會社會服務銀、銅獎頒給Emily Kuo和歐頌萍（Myah Olson）兩位學生。當晚表演除有美華協會醒獅團、舞蹈團，還有Zang TKD的跆拳道及耍龍，與會者享用由匹茲堡中餐協會烹製的佳餚，觀賞謝家碧母女精心策畫的歌舞「羽扇舞」、「迎新年」、「春舞」、「揮旗舞」、「彩帶 舞」。清朝宮廷服裝表演是當晚活動高潮之一.

該會會長艾元方（Andy Ai）表示，去年舉辦很多活動，大家除了辦好美華協會活動，還積極參與美國匹茲堡本地和國家的事務，並宣揚中華文化，宣導與確保美國亞太裔公民權益。有意加入匹茲堡美華協會者，可上網 http://www.ocapghpa.org/ 查詢.  (記者 張瓊月)

   

From the other Boleyn girl to ‘interesting’ history

Today (Jan. 25) in 1533 King Henry VIII secretly married Anne Boleyn, who was eventually beheaded by the King who accused her of infidelity.  Will Durant (in the Story of Civilization) had his doubt about Anne Boleyn’s guilt, “It seems incredible that even a flighty woman should have risked her throne for a moment’s dalliance, . . . No one could be sure of her guilt, but few regretted her fall.”  This was due to “Her hot temper, her imperious tantrums, her importunate demands, wearied Henry, who contrasted her railing tongue with Catherine’s [first wife] gentleness.”

Queen Elizabeth I was Anne Boleyn’s only daughter, who was never married.  I read this in Smithsonian (in 2003?), “A recent book, Oxford: Son of Queen Elizabeth I  posits that the Earl of Oxford was not only the author of Shakespeare’s plays but also Elizabeth’s secret love child.”  If this theory were true, then that will make Shakespeare a grandson of Henry VIII.  Few historians take this ‘legend’ seriously.

The dark side of Henry VIII overshadowed his other achievements.  Without Henry’s founding of the Trinity College, we might not have Isaac Newton, and without whom, there would be no calculus (although Leibniz should get half of the credit), no classical physics, and no birth of modern science.  Without his building of the ‘Royal Navy’, British couldn’t control the sea last century, as U.S. does today, and there wouldn’t be an Empire without sunset.  There is a lengthy report of “China takes aim at U.S. Navy Might” at Wall Street Journal on 1/4/2012, reiterating the fact that who controls the sea controls the world.

I do not read the historical novel; Gore Vidal’s Lincoln was the only exception.  I got “the other Boleyn girl” (see photo) at the Half Price Books last year.  I have no intention (also no time) to read it, but at $1 to pay, I simply couldn’t resist the temptation.  The other Boleyn’s girl is Anne’s sister, Mary.  This novel is from Mary’s perspective to tell the story of Anne Boleyn.

In Memoriam

The photo is taken from Dr. Albert Lin's Facebook page

I picked up Lord Alfred Tennyson’s In Memoriam many times, but never did I finish it.  It always came to mind with the passing of any worthy man, such as that of Dr. Luke Lin today.  It is a great loss to his family and the Taiwanese community in the greater Pittsburgh area.  Everyone knows how good he was as a physician, friend, father and husband by all measures; such a gentle, loving and noble man.

Strictly speaking, In Memoriam is not an elegy, but Tennyson began the poem right after his good buddy (at Trinity College), Arthur Hallam, passed away not quite two years after graduating from Trinity College.  It took him 17-18 years (1833-1849) to complete it.

Queen Victoria found great solace reading In Memoriam after the death of her husband, Prince Albert, in 1861, “Next to the Bible, In Memoriam is my comfort.”

With 133 cantos (including the prologue and epilogue), In Memoriam is a very lengthy poem and difficult one. T.S. Eliot called it “the most unapproachable of all his [Tennyson’s] poems.”  I found the book by Alfred Gatty, “A Key to Lord Tennyson’s In Memoriam” helpful (one can get this free eBook on Kindle).

I just read the first 20 cantos again today in memory of Dr. Lin.  In Canto IX one reads,

My Arthur, whom I shall not see

Till all my widow'd race be run;

Dear as the mother to the son,

More than my brothers are to me.

Tennyson views himself as a wife who has lost her husband.  Gatty commented that “Till all my widow’d race be run” is similar to what Apostle Paul declared (in II Timothy 4:7), “I have fought the good fight.  I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”  Gatty stated that the words ‘race’ and ‘course’ are synonymous.

The line of “Till all my widowed race be run” is seen again in Canto XVII, which indicates that they'll meet again once the widow's race (course) is over.

We also read this in Canto XXVII,

I hold it true, whate’er befall;

I feel it, when I sorrow most;

’Tis better to have loved and lost

Than never to have loved at all

I always admire Steve Jobs and began to revere him and felt  斯人也 而有斯疾也 (Such a wonderful person, such a dreaded disease!) after reading Isaacson’s Steve Jobs.  The same is also true for Dr. Lin.  This is fate, which is beyond the reach of our knowledge or medical advance.  “We have but faith: we cannot know;” our knowledge is limited by a reverence for that which we cannot know.

I'll borrow a few lines from Macbeth (Act 5 Scene 8) to ask the family to lessen the sorrow (節哀!),

Your cause of sorrow

Must not be measured by his worth, for then

It hath no end.

節哀!

Katy’s report to 世界日報: Chinese New Year celebration by CAST-P

(Katy’s dispatch to the World Journal, 世界日報, reporting the Chinese New Year celebration by Chinese Association for Science and Technology - Pittsburgh Chapter or CAST-P, was published today, January 19.  You may read directly the online version.)

http://www.worldjournal.com/view/wjnjpanews/17222352/article-CAST%E5%8C%B9%E8%8C%B2%E5%A0%A1%E5%88%86%E6%9C%83-%E5%96%9C%E8%BF%8E%E4%B8%AD%E5%9C%8B%E5%B9%B4?instance=nj2

Chinese Association for Science and Technology - Pittsburgh Chapter (中國旅美科學技術協會匹茲堡分會), sponsored a spectacular event of Chinese New Year Celebration at Ingomar Middle School on January 15, attracting more than 700 people that include many Americans.

“Sending off rabbit and welcoming dragon” kicked off the show by a Lion Dance, mingling with a group of lovely children dressed as rabbits.  Masters of ceremony of this staged event are 潘嵐 and two students from the University of Pittsburgh.  There are more than 100 performers showing their talents of singing, dancing and martial art.  It was a perfect family entertainment; all enjoyed in the warm and exuberant atmosphere.

The president of CAST-P, 涂子沛, made a speech in both Chinese and English.  He pointed out this year is the year of dragon, which is symbolic of dignity and luck; Chinese are descendants of the dragon.  Many local schools have designated the Chinese Lunar New Year as a holiday, reflecting the ever growing Chinese community in greater Pittsburgh area.  The two major newspapers in the city paid great attention and gave prominent reports of this festivity.  On behalf of CAST-P 涂子沛 wished all “The spirit of dragon” (龍馬精神), the children “as vigorous as a dragon and as lively as a tiger (full of vim and vigor)” (生龍活虎), those unmarried will have “romantic luck of a dragon and a phoenix” (龍鳳呈祥), and the married couple “have new additions of sons and grandsons of the dragon” (多生龍子龍孫).

The more than two-hour performance includes Chinese Martial Arts Showcase, Dances of  愛我中華, 放風箏 and 西域風情 by Pittsburgh Chinese School, and Dances of Beautiful Scenery (秀色) and Spring Story (春天的故事) by Yanlai Dance Academy (吳燕來舞蹈學院).  The splendor of colors and lights, along with the elegant movements created a magic on the stage that the audience enjoyed in awe.

The dance of Silk Road (絲路) and Tang Swing (唐風) by OCA-Pittsburgh, The touching “The Moon is My Heart” (月亮代表我的心) stole the hearts of the audience who sang along with HaiHua Youth Orchestra (海華交響樂). The soprano Danyu Xia (夏丹宇) sang solo “I love You China” (我愛你, 中國); her spirited and passionate voice filled the entire auditorium.  The unique ukulele and singing was performed by Weiqi Li (李維奇) from University of Pittsburgh.  The finale was the chorus by the YuGe Group (六人合唱) who sang “Me and My Motherland” (我和我的祖國) and “Don’t Forget the Night Feeling” (莫忘今宵情).

The president/CEO of KIT Solutions, 張小彥(see photo below), was invited to the stage to draw the lucky raffle tickets.  The two managers of the stage (金貝與劉芳) and all the performers made the curtain calls in the midst of the enthusiastic and vociferous applause.  The CAST-P public relation, Fanglin Zheng (鄭芳林), gave the red envelopes to all the children performers.

It would be remiss not mentioning the amazing Chinese calligraphy by Ma Biao (馬驫), studying computer science in Carnegie Mellon University.  He wrote nonstop the entire evening.  People were in line to ask for his treasured calligraphy work.  He has learnt the calligraphy for twenty some years and has won many prestigious awards. (Katy Tsai)

(The following is Katy’s report.)

CAST 匹茲堡分會 喜迎中國年

【賓州匹茲堡訊】 世界新聞網 北美華文新聞、華商資訊

January 19, 2012 06:00 AM

中國旅美科學技術協會匹茲堡分會（簡稱CAST-P） 15日在英葛瑪中學禮堂（Ingomar) 盛大舉辦中國龍年慶祝會，華洋嘉賓約700人出席.

「送兔迎龍」慶祝會由一群可愛的兔寶寶與紅獅揭開序幕，接著由潘嵐與兩位匹大學生共同主持節目，晚會有超過百名小孩表演舞蹈和武術，父母家人齊來觀賞，氣氛溫馨.

該會主席涂子沛以中英雙語致詞。他指出龍代表尊貴、幸運，華人是龍的傳人，十二生肖中以龍為首愛。涂子沛指出，匹茲堡華人社區日益壯大，很多學校將中國新年訂為假日，給學生放假。當地兩家英文媒體對此非常重視，以顯著篇幅預告此新年活動。他代表 CAST-P 祝大家「龍馬精神」， 小朋友「生龍活虎」，未婚男女 早日「龍鳳呈祥」，結婚的「多生龍子龍孫」.

兩小時表演包括中國功夫秀、匹茲堡中文學校舞蹈「愛我中華」、「好運來」、「放風箏」與「西域風情」；吳燕來舞蹈學院表演新編舞劇「秀色」與「春天故事」，燈光羽扇變化多端，十分吸睛.

美華協會的「絲路」與「唐風」，匹茲堡海華交響樂演奏「月亮代表我的心」，引起觀眾共鳴合唱。另外還有夏丹宇女高音獨唱「我愛你，中國」，以及匹大李維奇六絃琴彈唱、孟小賓小提琴獨奏，壓軸節目是六人合唱「我和我的祖國」與「莫忘今宵情」.

席間邀 KIT Solutions 董事長張小彥上台抽出頭獎禮券， 另有兩個第二獎等獎品。 兩位舞台總監金貝與劉芳最後和全體演員一起謝幕，協會公關鄭芳林等人上台發給每個小朋友壓歲紅包.

晚會的另一插曲是，卡內基美隆大學電子計算機碩士馬驫（Ma Biao) 整晚在大廳手不停筆書寫草書 ， 因他習書法20年，多次獲金獎，大家都排隊向他要墨寶，到晚上10時仍欲罷不能。（張瓊月)   

   

Steve Jobs’s love life

Stanford Memorial Church

Steve Jobs’s memorial service took place at Stanford Memorial Church; the list of the attendees includes all the mogul and tycoon of the high tech industry.  Bill & Hillary Clinton and Al Gore (Apple board member) were there.  Yo-Yo Ma was there to play the cello as he promised Jobs.  One may wonder why Joan Baez was there.

Steve & wife, Laurence in 8/1997 (photo credit Isaacson's Steve Jobs)

At age of 27 Jobs had a romance with Joan Baez (then 41) for several years. One day Jobs bursted into the office with Baez and showed her the prototype of Macintosh, all the employees were much surprised as it was then a top secret of developing Macintosh.  Baez had once been the lover of Bob Dylan in early 1960s when they toured together.  “Steve loved that connection to Dylan,” Baez later said.  Dylan was Jobs’s idol, his iPod was full of Bob Dylan’s and Beetle songs, Bach and 3 albums of Yo-Yo Ma.  

Jobs also had many other serious relationships before he finally settled down at age of 36.  Jennifer Egan (then a U. of Pennsylvania undergraduate) and Tina Redse almost became Mrs. Jobs.

Many romances notwithstanding, Jobs became a “Family Man” (Chapter 21 of Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs.  Isaacson also wrote a biography of Einstein) and their marriage turned out to be “enduring, marked by loyalty and faithfulness.”  His son Reed is now at Stanford and one daughter went to Harvard.  

The incomparable Steve Jobs

Photo is taken from Isaacson's Steve Jobs

Walter Isaacson said history will place Jobs in the pantheon right next to Edison and Ford.  Many (me included) wouldn’t buy the comparison.  But, what Jobs had accomplished is “insane”, which like “Think Different” is Apple’s advertisement buzzword.

If you admire Jobs you’ll revere him after reading Isaacson’s Steve Jobs.  Some physicians at Sermo argued that Jobs took too much credit saying he was not the man of science or technology; he never invented anything.  But, it is fair to say that without Jobs, there would be no Apple II, Macintosh, Toy Story, iPod, iPhone, iPad, iTune store and Apple store--the things that made Apple the most valuable company on Earth, surpassing Exxon-Mobil.

What is more amazing is that the most creative and innovative products, the likes of iPhone, iPod, and iPad all came out after Jobs first fell ill with a terrible disease (rare pancreatic cancer, liver metastasis, liver transplant and bone metastasis, etc.) in 2003.  iPod first came out in 2001, but has evolved over the years under his watch.  Facing such dreaded disease, almost all mortals cannot function, let alone doing such creative work.

Jobs may not be a man of science/technology, but he sees the beauty of the intersection of artistry and technology or that of humanity and science.  All of his innovative products reflect this philosophy.  Upon his coming back to Apple in 1997, at which time Apple was heading for bankruptcy, he told the employees “The products suck!  There is no sex in them anymore.”   

Steve Jobs and Yo Yo Ma and his wedding

I often write about the book I read, rarely did I preach one to read it, as reading has to be a personal taste and temperament thing.  I will make an exception for Walter Isaacson’s Steve Jobs, the book I just read; I will have many posts (writing or copying) so you may pick it up.

At the end of Chapter 32 (Music Man), there is a paragraph about Yo-Yo Ma; they first met at Aspen in 1981.

“Jobs tended to be deeply moved by artists who displayed purity, and he became a fan [of Ma].  He invited Ma to play at his wedding, but he was out of the country on tour.  He came by the Jobs house a few years later, sat in the living room, pulled out his 1733 Stradivarius cello, and played Bach.  'That is what I would have played for your wedding,' he told them.  Jobs teared up and told him, 'You[r] playing is the best argument I’ve ever heard for the existence of God, because I don’t really believe a human alone can do this.'  On a subsequent visit Ma allowed Job’s daughter Erin to hold the cello while they sat around the kitchen.  By that time Jobs had been struck by cancer, and he made Ma promise to play at his funeral.” And Ma did.

Jobs married Laurence Powell at the Ahwahnee Lodge in Yosemite National Park on March 18, 1991.  It was conducted by his Soto Zen teacher, Kobun Chino, who “shook a stick, struck a gong, lit incense, and chanted in a mumbling manner that most guests [about 50] found incomprehensible.” The wedding cake was in the shape of Half Dome [a landmark at Yosemite].  After the ceremony they all went hiking and Powell’s three brothers launched a snowball fight, and Jobs said to his sister, “Laurence is descended from Joe Namath and we’re descended from John Muir.”   

Six weeks before we went to Yosemite National Park last August, we couldn’t get a reservation in the same hotel (Ahwahnee Lodge).  We did visit the hotel while driving around to find a parking space.  John Muir lamented about too many visitors/tourists that came by horses and buggy in 1880s.  Muir would have passed out if he could have seen that many cars we saw that day.

Last year when he was already terminally ill Jobs went back to the same hotel on their 20^th wedding anniversary.  The hotel was again booked and a nice guy gladly let Jobs take the room.  

So I think I can dance?

Last Saturday we’re invited to attend a party at Murrysville area; good food, good company and good dancing.  We’re the only new comers for a congenial group.  The gracious hostess and her physician husband are well known elegant dancers of professional caliber, just like the couple shown on the cover of this British Medical Journal (BMJ)—see photo.  They opened their hearts and arms to welcome us to their home and their friends.

Their house, nay, mansion, has a spacious dancing studio that allows electric slide or macarena dance for thirty some people without feeling too close for comfort.  The hostess is a terrific dance instructor; she even gave us (Katy and me) individual lesson—she must have found the daunting task most challenging.  A very sympathetic Pitt professor pulled us away from the group, teaching us a few trick steps so that we can get by with all sorts of music and rhythm, in other words, 學了這幾步, 就可以混下去了, so he claimed.

We dropped out, or more precisely kicked out, of a dancing studio at Monroeville some years ago.  We took the private lesson once a week; feeling confident after a month we wanted to continue, but the frustrated dance instructor politely said, “I think you’re too busy,” and that was the end of the education of my dancing; my dream of getting on Dancing with the Star evaporated; at stake was his reputation.  It turned out our hostess also has the same dance instructor.

The dance lesson we had last Saturday rekindled our interest; after coming home, we 發奮圖強, unfortunately we have forgotten the electric slide and macarena steps that we’re supposed to practice.

Thanks to the hostess’ instruction, for a short while I think I can dance? It is just an illusion, then I realize 我沒有跳舞的細胞.  Through no fault of my own, my genes and neurons (nerve cells) are to blame.  I even have scientific report to back me up.  The article (“So You Think You Can Dance?: PET Scans Reveal Your Brain’s Inner Choreography”) was in the June 16 2008 issue of Scientific American.  The link allows you to read the first two paragraphs only. This is the neuro science of the dance; this is how I keep my neuro science up-to-date.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=the-neuroscience-of-dance

 

Lincoln in 1861

I am not alone in lacking the “dancing neurons”; Abe Lincoln was also a victim.  When Abe and Mary first met in a party in Springfield, Illinois, Abe went to Mary asking for a dance saying he wanted to dance with her “in the worst way” (the way I dance) and he did.

  

On the Inauguration Ball (rightly called Union Ball) on March 4 1861 Mary was whirling in the arms of Stephen Douglas (then a U.S. senator); Lincoln’s heavy heart was far away in the Fort Sumter, South Carolina. The Confederate gun fired on Fort Sumter on 4/12/1861 marked the beginning of the Civil War.