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Book review Madame Curie changed the 20th century By ALLAN GOULD In the world of science certainly in the world of scientific geniuses of the female persuasion there is surely no more famous and fascinating personality than that of Madam Marie Curie of France bom Manya Sklodowska in War saw Poland As the discoverer with her equally brilliant husband Pierre of both radium and polonium she has intrigued the world for most of this century and with good reason As a woman of science as the first female Nobel Prize winner in a nonliterary field and the only woman to ever win two of those esteemed honors as the mother and motherinlaw of winners Irene and Frederic Curie as the person who changed the course of the 20th century in both warfare the atom bomb and health cancer treatment Now the late great genius is the subject of a biography that is near ly worthy of her glory Grand Obsession Madam Curie and Her World Doubleday pages by And although things run down somewhat after the tragic acciden tal death of Pierre and Maries own premature passing there are enough interesting occurrences in the lives of her children to keep the book moving through its im pressive length In fact there is a fearful sym metry to this book since it opens with the 10yearold future Nobel Laureate cowering before and hating the Russian overlords of her Polish youth in 1877 and con cludes eight decades later with the communists of Soviet Russia heap ing grandiose praise on her son-in- law after his- death And what decades these were for both the families and for us aU For ironies abound throughout the book Madama Curie cared not for the suffragettes nor the feminists in spite of her inspira tional life in science Her daughter Irene on the ether hand joined numerous womens groups and saw herself as a spokesperson for the cause The same goes for politics Madame Curie was far too obsessed with her research to care about world politics while both Irene and Frederic were active communists and major stragglers against Nazi evil OBSESSIVE Still it is the obsessive nature of Sktodowskis passion for learning from her illegal studies at The Floating University of dissident Polish intellectuals to her drive to become the first woman in science in Europe as well as the first woman pro fessor at the that modem readers will find irresisti ble So too with the man she would meet fall deeply in love with and make such extraor dinary scientific discoveries with Pierre Cune Has there ever been a marriage made in scientific and romantic heaven more than this one Marie and Pierre Cune loved each other with a depth of feeling that recalls Romeo and Juliet and was match ed only by their mutual love for scientific research And its on the latter where Ms research truly shines She captures the literal explosion of physics knowledge during the first four decades of this century from Roentgens discovery of X- to the worldwide race to create the atom bomb during the Second World War It is hilarious to read that leadlined clothes were advertised to prevent the penetration of layers of Victorian petticoats and to protect feminine modesty when Xrays first hit the news Its astonishing to read of the way the worlds press haunted and even harranged the Curies once they made their initial discoveries and this was decades before radio TV and People Magazine An American wanted to name his horse Mane the French newspapers had a field day a la Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart with a still questionable affair that the freshly widowed Madame Curie may have had with another scientist and the great and very shy and private scientist was forced to make a number of trips to the United States to raise money for further experiments TEAR SPATTERED When Pierre is suddenly run over by a horse and carriage the readers heart nearly breaks to read the tearspattered note written by the bereft 39yearold widow What a terrible shock your poor head has felt your poor head that I so often caressed my two hands Everything is over it is the end of everything everything everything Yet wiat pleasures we get to read of Madame Curies boat trip to the S where she became engrossed with the way the light in her giant closet would come on automatically to the point where her friends found Marie sitting in side the wardrobe in the dark try ing to figure out how the light func tioned Forever the scientist forever the need to discover and know all Allan Gould is the author of books the latest being the co- authored Child Finder about this countrys greatest tracker of miss ing children HALTON ROMAN CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD FRENCH IMMERSION PROGRAM The Halton Roman Cathoic School Board often an optional French Im mersion Program to Its English language students entering Grade 5 In September 1990 A parent Information meeting Is scheduled as follows Halton Hills Tuesday January 30 990 pm Holy Cross School 222 Maple Avenue Georgetown for further Information please contact Mlchele H Longlade Program Consultant 6326300 Ext Please note thai this Is not a registrationmeeting Mr D Schrenk Chairman of the Board Byrnes Director of Education Money will come if you work ASTROGRAPH OSOL Conditions that have bearing upon your financial well being took very en couraging for the year ahead You may be able to make mora money than you have previously but youll have to work for It AQUARIUS Jan 19 A good Investment could pay off In hand some dividends a little further down the line Follow your Instincts today they take you in this direction Aquarius treat yourself to a birthday gift PISCES Feb The enthu siasm you display tor things In which youre vitally Interested will encourage otherstogetlnvotvedlntheinaswetllt wont be necessary for you to use the hardsell ARIES March 18 If there Is something you really want or need that someone else can help you acquire this is the day to make the request Your benefactor should be receptive TAUflUS April 20 Conditions look very promising for you today In any Involvements or dealings you have with close friends especially If youre collec tively working on something thats new or novel May 21June 20 Situations you eel can Improve your financial po sition should be given top priority to day even those that thus far are untest ed and CANCER June Because youll optimistically look for the bright side today youre not apt to have too much trouble finding It No adverse In fluence wHI dare cast a shadow over your affairs LEO July 22 Someone youve gone out ol your way to help recently could repay you In a generous manner today This individual has been chaffing at the bit to square up the account VmOO Aug 22 Your social acceptance be peaking towtyds a high point today and persons with whom youll be Involved will find you a pleasant companion with whom to share time Sept 23 This could be a redletter day for you where your am bitious Interests are concerned Lady Luck might engineer something very btg on your behalf SCORPIO Oct 22 Your wit and wisdom serve to make you a fun person to be around today and youll leave a favorable lasting Impression on persons who meet you for the first time Theyll want to see you again SAGITTARIUS Nov 230ec Dont be upset today If something Important to you suddenly gets all changed around Shifting conditions tend to work In your favor and you should come out on top CAPRICORN Dec 22Jan 19 Theres a possibility good news will be trying to get through to you today Be sure to thoroughly check your mall and return all phone calls you find on your answer ing machine Waving the flag A mere years ago Canada was without a national flag It was on until February 15 1965 after months of boisterous debate hundreds of de signs and decades of discussions that Canada hoisted its own flag Canadas official flag from to 1965 was the Union Jack although the Red Ensign official flay of the Brit ish merchant marine was also flown The acceptance of the red maple leaf as a national emblem dates well back into the last century In 1921 the royal proclamation granting Canada a coat of arms sanctioned red and white as Canadas official colours- Serious attempts to adopt a national flag was and later in when a parliamentary committee sifted through designs All to no avail When the 60s rolled around Canada had gained considerable stature as a world leader With a birthday celebration due in 1967 the lack of a truly Canadian flag posed potential for considerable national embarrassment We really lagged behind the rest of the world- Parliament tackled the issue in the Bag debate which raged from June until December and included some speeches The conflict cen tered not on the need for a new flag but on what it should look like Conserva tive leader John Diefenbaker argued that the design should honour the founding peoples Prime Minister Lester Pearson thought not and referred the matter to an allparty committee which recommended the design we know today At 2 am December 1964 the House of Commons in a vole of 163 to 78 accepted the new design Its ITS YOUR HISTORY- technical description is A red flag of the proportions two by length and one by width containing in its center a white square with width of the flag with a single red maple leaf centered therein If you are interested in flagging down more information on the Maple Leaf or any other Canadian emblems contact the National Archives of Canada Wellington Street Ottawa Ontario K1A 0N3 National Archives of Canada PA 136156 Campbell House Gallery January OFF CATALOGUE ORDERS SALE FROM JANUARY 2 990 JANUARY 31 1 MAIN ST SOUTH- GEORGETOWN 8730674