First Draft of Paper Completed- And a Whirlwind Trip in Central Europe

Well, the first draft of my solar physics research paper has been completed, actually after about the first week. It now needs to be gone over carefully and proof-checked before putting it up on the Physics Arxiv. But interestingly, as the paper 1st draft was completed, wifey and I received an unexpected shout out from our long time German friend, Reinhart - who invited us to spend time with wife Elli and himself in the beautiful Bavarian village of Garmisch- Partenkirchen.

Truth be told, we've only just now arrived back in the States after a 17+ hour sojourn that began in a damp, cold and rainy Munich at 9.20 a.m. and concluded at 3.30 a.m. Munich time or 7.30 p.m. Colorado Springs time- when our United Air Express touched down.  Needless to say, wifey and I are both beat,.....so this post will be quite short.

But over the next few blog posts I plan to share what we learned in Germany, including of an emergent Nazi threat embodied in the "NSU process" - which has led putatively to what is likely to be the largest post-war trial of Nazis, neo-Nazis in German history.  Much of the background appeared in the Munich papers when we arrived, but it took a lengthy session with Reinhart to spell it out and have it make sense. (Reinhart can be seen in this earlier blog post, http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2010/09/not-all-troops-are-heroes-dangers-of.html using a photo from the 40th anniversary of the end of WWII, taken in 1985. He acted as interpreter between two former Wehrmacht soldiers (also shown) and yours truly)

Also, to share: our experience at Zugspitze- the highest peak in Germany (and a peak which is shared with Austria) and the unsettling resonance of the Third Reich detected in the twin German towns (Garmisch and Partenkirchen) that were actually forced together (by Hitler) in order so sponsor the 1936 Winter Olympics- for which the signs and symbols are still evident.  The '36 Winter Olympics set the stage for the massive 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin - which Hitler and the Third Reich attempted to use as a propaganda showcase.

I will also share some of our experiences in Austria, including in Innsbruck and Salzburg.

Right now it's time to sign off!