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Alex Eremenko has made a dignified response to all this silliness about
"nationalism".

I agree with Craig Scott that Alex, with his feet in two different
cultures, has opened our eyes to aspects of another world, from which the
language barrier tends to exclude us. Long may he continue to do so. Each
side has plenty to learn, and to understand, from the other.

I can add that he has he has been equally helpful backstage, in
correspondence off the list about some navigational fine-detail.

And I hope that Alex won't mind me making this comment-

It's been most interesting to watch his learning-process. Here's an
intelligent man, who came in as rather a newcomer to celestial navigation,
and was determined to master it. So he has asked sensible questions, made
mistakes and hasn't minded admitting them, and where he didn't understand,
has been prepared to keep saying so until he did. It's been fun to observe.
And now, in a few months, he has got himself thoroughly into the practical
skills of observing (from land), and the theoretical understanding of
what's going on, so that now he explains matters to us, not vice versa. Of
course, his mathematical background has helped.

I hope other listmembers who are finding their way into astro-nav have
taken note, and taken heart.

Now I look forward to his reports when he gets to take his sextant to sea,
a long way from Purdue. That's another world to learn, and the navigation
(from a wobbly platform) is only one aspect of the seamanship that's
required. He has my best wishes.

George.

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contact George Huxtable by email at george@huxtable.u-net.com, by phone at
01865 820222 (from outside UK, +44 1865 820222), or by mail at 1 Sandy
Lane, Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK.
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