Fw: [meteorite-list] Orissa India--- Of Floods,meteorites and Man-and Turtles too

From: Jose Campos <josecamposcomet_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Apr 22 10:28:25 2004
Message-ID: <000d01c3901b$e857c9d0$32c216d5_at_computername>

Hi David - and List:
I am pleased to know that you have enjoyed the info on my email.
I had to laught about that "meteorite named after me" bit! I take your kind
remark as a compliment to my surname!
As you (and List) know, meteorites a not named after people but after a
geographical location (other than the NWA...+Nº) related to their site of
fall/discovery.
Perhaps the closest that we can get to, named after PEOPLE, is to some Group
Classes:
Diogenites, named after the 5th Century BC Greek Philosopher Diogenes of
Apollonia
Pallasites, named after the German naturalist/astronomer Peter Pallas (of
the 18th Century)
Howardites, named after a British chemist, Edward Howard (also of the 18th
Century)

There might be other instances that I might not be aware of?

However, I can proudly say that I have my surname given to a space "rock"
that is so large that it won't fit in my meteorite show case, or in anyone's
show case, or even in a very large room! Please, check the I.A.U. Circular
Nº 3259 (1978 Sept 05) - there are other Circ. related to this object.
I share it with a Japanese amateur astronomer, Toshio Haneda (unfortunately
he died some 12 years ago).
As per the I.A.U. Nomenclature, it was first known as P/Haneda-Campos 1978j
and later it became 1978XX and now it is officialy known as D/1978 R1
Haneda-Campos. We both discovered it independently and it has a P~ 6.5
years.
I am a Portuguese, born in Mozambique (previously known as Port. East
Africa), where I grew up and lived there for many years; then I left for
Durban, South Africa, where I made that comet discovery on Sept 1st 1978. I
lived in Durban during 20 years, my wife Charmaine and our 3 kids (grown up
now), were born there. It's a great country.
The "D" stands for "Disappeared" (lost) - but that's is thanks to some of
the comet trackers of that time, who did let it slip away!! In theory, it
should make another return this coming January/2004 around the Sun; it's
actual, published calculated ephemerids differ quite a bit, between American
and Japanese comet experts!
 I wonder what might be it's true size? Some 6 x 4 kms? It won't fit in my
room! LOL!
Regards to you all.

José Campos

----- Original Message -----
From: "David Freeman" <dfreeman_at_fascination.com>
To: "Jose Campos" <josecamposcomet_at_netcabo.pt>
Sent: Saturday, October 11, 2003 1:25 AM
Subject: Re: [meteorite-list] Orissa India--- Of Floods,meteorites and
Man-and Turtles too


> Dear Jose;
> Very interesting post! I really enjoyed it.
> Wish I had a meteorite named after me! :-)
> Best,
> Dave Freeman
>
> Jose Campos wrote:
>
> > Hi Mike Farmer, Atul Kumar and List,
> >
> >
> >
> > First of all, many thanks to M.F. for his very interesting emails on
> > India and his "adventures" in meteorite-chasing there. I am pleased to
> > know that he has a fragment already and that, probably against all
> > odds, burocracy, etc, he has managed to examine and photograph
> > the pieces in the hands of the local authorities, well done!!
> >
> > His very brief description of that part of India - a beautiful
> > country, I think, - brought me memories (excluding the car traffic
> > parts), of Kipling's "KIM" that I read many years ago!
> >
> > He also mentioned the houses without electricity: Could it be that, in
> > the process of the meteorite having hit a thatched house, the reported
> > fire might have be caused by some oil lamp being knocked down by the
> > impact?
> >
> >
> >
> > On another subject: Atul mentions the word "Arribida" as being
> > Spanish: This word (the correct spelling is "arribada" or "arriba")
> > exists in both the Portuguese and Spanish languages and most probably
> > it is rather of Portuguese origin as Portugal's occupation and
> > influence on some areas of India lasted almost 500 years (untill 1961
> > to me more exact); in fact, to this day, there is still large Indian
> > comunities of Portuguese extraction in Goa, Damão and Diu, who speak
> > excellent Portuguese and have Port. surnames. Yes, "arribada" means
> > "arrival" - in fact, in the 15th Century Portuguese language, it was
> > (and still is) a NAUTICAL term, meaning "to enter a sailing ship in a
> > harbour other than it's destiny, as a means to avoid/escape a sea
storm".
> >
> >
> >
> > During the golden age of the Port. sea-discoveries, expansion and
> > trade, many Port. words were adopted/used (often in a corrupted way)
> > by people from several other countries in Asia and elsewhere. For
> > instance, during the height of the Port. commercial trade in Asia
> > during the 16th Century, Port. traders carried in their ships
> > a specially made box where they put the coin money in; So, whenever
> > they wanted payment to be made in coins rather than in other objects,
> > they insisted in a payment to "pôr em CAIXA" (to put in the BOX) - and
> > to this day, the Port. word CAIXA became CASH (and therefore,
> > caixeiro = cashiers), used worldwide through the English language.
> >
> > So much about meteorites, India and arribada! That's explains the
> > "diversity" of cultures and meteorite people that makes this List
> > (whenever there is no ugly arguments), so interesting.
> >
> > Keep up the good work and good luck, Mike, and please keep that
> > meteorite fragment plus that CASH of yours in a safe place! Cheers!
> >
> >
> >
> > José Campos
> >
> > Portugal
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> >
> > From:Atul Kumar <mailto:Atul_at_urisp.com>
> >
> > To: meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com
> > <mailto:meteorite-list_at_meteoritecentral.com>
> >
> > Sent: Friday, October 10, 2003 7:36 PM
> >
> > Subject: [meteorite-list] Orissa India--- Of Floods,meteorites and
> > Man-and Turtles too
> >
> >
> > Dear All- and Mike Farmer
> >
> > While poor people of the area have just had their thached (straw)
> > roofs blow off their Mud houses ,and their mud houses are turning
> > into more mud,and people are dying and even more will die from the
> > diseases to come,we get to hear about the carnage ,and learn about
> > their misery sitting at our computers.
> >
> >
> >
> > Into this mayhem that is India arrives one Foreigner(as they are
> > called) in 2 cars/jeeps with a purpose.He wants the rocks that
> > fell from the sky.
> >
> > Mike travels exactly half way around the world for meteorites,and
> > ends up with a flood,starvation,and disease.Not to mention he is
> > among people who have never seen a refrigerator- and would not
> > know what to do with it even if they did see one.
> >
> > They have never known electricity- unless they travel to town.
> >
> > Maybe he can do something to help the poor people there,even if
> > they dont have METEORITES TO BARTER FOR FOOD.
> >
> >
> >
> > COWS-
> >
> > They are a part of the household- almost a member of the family-
> > like a pet dog is- sort of-
> >
> > They wander during the day looking for foliage,and in the evening
> > come back home - to be milked.The reason they are on the road in
> > Mikes way is because they are lost- or decide they dont want to
> > sit in the flooded area today.They are trying to stay dry, or
> > maybe their way home is blocked by water.
> >
> > Milk is the major source of protien and fat for most of India.The
> > milk extracted is usually gone fast -They dont need refrigerators-
> > there are more mouths in the household than the cow can fill.
> >
> >
> >
> > ROADS
> >
> > Mikes description of the road travel left out this-
> >
> > As the only decent part of the road is the middle every vehicle
> > travels in the middle of the road.There is nothing dividing
> > oncoming traffic from your vehicle.
> >
> > When you see a vehicle coming- you have to make a quick decision
> > whether you want to get off the road
> >
> > or if you want to get him off the road
> >
> > or if you want to see if he wants to play the who,s going to get
> > off last game.
> >
> > The larger (read TATA) usually wins the middle ground.
> >
> >
> >
> > I must tell you about the TATA tramplers -
> >
> > (These are 7 ton trucks loaded with 20 -30 tons of freight- i call
> > them Tramplers) hopelessly overloaded ,usually leaning to one
> > side,engines over-revving under the load,and they do trample
> > everthing in their path.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Travelling in rural India can be great fun.I go as often as i
> > can,doing volunteer Wildlife work while i am there.
> >
> >
> >
> > INDIAN HOSPITALITY
> >
> > If there is one bed in the home- the guest sleeps in it- the rest
> > on the floor.
> >
> > If there is one meal- for the whole family to share- the guest
> > gets it.
> >
> > It is very very humbling to learn that there is so much we can
> > learn from these poor people.
> >
> >
> >
> > The tone of mikes email seems to suggest he has finally found what
> > enthalls people of the world with India.There is so much to love -
> > and so much to dislike.
> >
> > It is a land of paradoxes.
> >
> > His emails exude a sense of resigned acceptance about the things
> > he is seeing.makes me homesick just reading his emails.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Anyway my contact reports that Recovery efforts have been
> > dismal.The water is everywhere as the mini cyclone from last week
> > brought the ocean to the peoples doorstep in more ways than one.
> >
> >
> >
> > MIKE- Ask about when the Arribida is- Millions of Indian Sea Going
> > turtles come to the very beaches you are near to lay their eggs
> > and then even more millions hatch and go back to the sea to
> > continue the cycle that has continued from times immemorial .It is
> > a sight of a lifetime.
> >
> > The turtles that hatch here- will only come back to the very beach
> > they were born - in a few years to lay their eggs.Radio telemetry
> > has established this recently.
> >
> > And it took us 2000 AD yrs to discover GPS.The turtles have us
> > beat by a few million years.
> >
> > PS- the word Arrabida was coined by the spanish inhabitants of
> > India-I think it means the arrival.
> >
> >
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Atul kumar
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
Received on Sat 11 Oct 2003 01:19:59 PM PDT