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November 3, 2021

Oliver spent a lot of time with the Indian family.  He accompanied them up Mt San Jeronimo, where he participated in the rites of sun worship. Relationships between the Indios (Indians) and the Mestizos (Spanish-Mexicans).  Comparison to situation of the cocoa farmer.

Communications between Indios and Mestizos.  Indios used superstition to gain the upper hand over the Mestizos when they haggled over prices.  I mention my experience haggling in China.

Trip to the plantation by Mom and Reuben.  Eating monkey in alligator sauce prepared by Galdena.  Description of plantation.  Vulnerability of rubber trees to disease and insects.  

Victor's friendship with President Diaz, who appreciated the hard work of the American family.

Four ingredients necessary for successful development:  time, knowledge, capital, critical mass.

Jennie Lindeborg--a Swedish Cinderella, a stowaway on a potato boat.  The taxi story.  Other members of the story.

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October 26, 2021

Characters:  Oliver--eventually became VP of a big oil company.  Jenny--my great-grandmother.  Rolf--invented the milk carton.  Esther--my mother's mother (got sick in Mexico and returned to the US).  Rueben-- invented an oil pipeline brush.

Sympathetic magic--the belief that like makes like.  E.g., eating long green beans lengthens lifespan.  Eating red food stimulates blood production.

Notes about President Diaz (1880-1910).

Causes of goatiness in goat's milk:  three fatty acids (caproic, capric, caprylic acids)

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September 16, 2021

Bach's music is profoundly cheerful and full of love.  JSB was a devout Christian, and his music portrays the majesty of a Theistic God who loves his creation.  These five organ pieces are among my favorites.

1. Prelude and Fugue in F-Major
2. Prelude in D-Major 
3. Wachet Auf Ruft uns die Stimme. (Wake Up Calls Out the Voice)
4. Sheep May Safely Graze
5. Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke

Comments about the up-coming fundraiser, where I played these five pieces.

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October 16, 2021

Written by my Great-Uncle, Victor Frederick Peterson.  Comments about how I inherited this document.  Other personal comments.

Emigration of Swedes to the US and Little Swedens that dotted the MidWest and about the Peterson family.

1905--Professor Peterson decides to move his family to Mexico.

Three books about rubber and colonialism:  King Leopold's Ghost, Fordlandia by Greg Grandin, In Darkest Africa by Henry Stanley (2 volumes).

PHF News:  David buys a $6,000 tempering machine thanks to USDA grant.

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July 1, 2021

• African Truffle assortment using Depa chocolate
• Depa:  our first chocolate production facility.  David's customers.
• Description of truffle production
• Other products using Depa chocolate
• Description of vendors in the Cordes Saturday morning market

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May 15, 2021

A comparison of my parents' science interests and their hopes to make me a scientist.  A comparison of parental religious philosophies.  How can science and religion coexist in one person when science negates religion?

Late 19th and early 20th centuries--when Cartesian thought no longer applied and mystery caused a significant rapprochement of science and religion.  Role of Darwin in creating more mystery.  The Big Bang Theory:  how can we be living inside an explosion?  It seems the more we know the more mystery there is.

What does religion provide?  Anti-hubris.  We will never reach the level os gods, no matter how many apples we eat.  Science requires hubris;  religion demands anti-hubris.

PHF:  Announcement of our fundraiser in September.  I hope to raise enough money to buy a second melangeur for David.

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April 15, 2021

My commitment to "do something" about poverty of the cocoa farmer.  Purchase of tools for farmers.  2012 trip: I proposed the idea of building cocoa processing facility in Depa.  Since 2019, David Logbo Zigro has shipped four batches of chocolate bars to the US.  He has also made bars and disks which he has sold locally.

Pezoan:  We built the second chocolate processing facility in Pezoan and I have been teaching Adama Yamba how to temper chocolate and candy fruit.  Antoine's story about getting beaten up doing PH&F work.  Adama's story with the cold room.

Cordes sur Ciel:  selling in the Saturday market.  Damien joins me.  Dreams about expanding business.

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March 23, 2021.

The Thomas Edison Model:  dispersed generators connected by AC

Intermittency:  how to blend wind and solar with traditional generators

Energy to weight ratio:  

History of the battery.

The Lithium battery:  where is most of the earth's lithium?  Environmental damage.

How batteries are recycled.

Two new batteries:  liquid air and liquid metal

NEWS ABOUT PH&F:  selling chocolate at the Saturday market and in a store in downtown Cordes (Cordes au Bas).

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March 6, 2021

Hopelessness:  a hopeless approach

A bug shows the way;  a metaphor for our times.

History of the global warming theory.

Forcings:  measured in watts per square meter (incoming and outgoing)

Examples of positive and negative forcing

How many trees do we need to plant?

Problems for shellfish.

NEWS ABOUT PH&F

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February 13, 2021

INTRODUCTION:  An old-testament writing genre that grew in response to the Babylonian captivity to provide hope to the Chosen People who had been kidnapped to Babylon, then invaded by the Greeks and then the Romans.

FIVE HORSEMEN:

1. Serial Pandemics:  COVID and Ebola
2. Donald J. Trump:  end of Liberalism, rise of Fascism
3. Nuclear Annihilation
4. Devaluation of Humanity
5. Global Warming

NEWS ABOUT PH&F:   1600 chocolate bars sold,  African ChocoFudgeBar, African Truffles

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To learn more, visit  http://www.projecthopeandfairness.org