My father and I in front of the Parthenon. At about this time a scruffy-looking man approached us, explaining that he was a historian of science at Athens University, and that the crane in the background was actually restored from remains found on the site. He then went into an impassioned speech about how the ancient Greeks were much more advanced than orthodox historians give them credit for, and that artifacts such as that very modern-looking crane would soon prove this to the world. The clincher, he then said, was a c.500 BCE nuclear reactor his group was excavating right now on Mt. Parnassus. Alas, professional jealousies had led to his funding being cut off, so he had to take his case to the people directly. Anyway, we donated about $200 to his foundation, and we would have given more if we hadn't left our stuff down at the bus. He warmly extended an invitation for a personal tour of his Mt. Parnassus dig the next time we're in Greece, though; that should be well worth while. The address of the foundation printed on the receipt is rather indistinct, though -- I hope we won't have too much trouble finding him again. Dec 27 2000.