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Month: October 2008

THE AMAZING CHINESE & THEIR VOYAGE OF 1434 TO EUROPE

THE AMAZING CHINESE & THEIR VOYAGE OF 1434 TO EUROPE

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Gavin Menzies has written a book, 1434 The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet sailed to Italy and ignited by Renaissance (Harper Collins 2008) The premise of the book is that in 1434 the Chinese sailed to Europe bringing with them knowledge of navigation, astronomy, maps of the world and knowledge unknown to Europe. The Chinese were master boat builders. In 1434 the fleet sailed from China to Cairo and Florence and then back across the world using devices they had…

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WHY CATHOLICS ARE ABANDONING SHIP

WHY CATHOLICS ARE ABANDONING SHIP

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Stafford Betty has written an article "Why U.S. Catholics are Heading for the Exits" in the October 17, 2008 edition of the National Catholic Reporter. It’s well written and insightful. He begins by saying that some 20 million American adults describe themselves as "ex Catholics" and says that anywhere from one third to one half of fundamentalist church members once belonged to the Catholic Church. Betty maintains there are three primary reasons for the exodus. One, he says, is: "Fundamentalist…

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BETTER A HOLE IN A SHOE THAN IN THE HEAD

BETTER A HOLE IN A SHOE THAN IN THE HEAD

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As soon as I saw the photo of my candidate, Obama, with his shoes up showing the holes in the bottom of both shoes I was, well, suspicious. I immediately thought of Adali Stevenson, the Illinois governor (Obama's home state) who was the Democratic candidate for president in 1952 and 1956. Anyone old enough to remember the 1952 campaign would remember the photograph taken of Stevenson with the sole of one shoe showing a hole in it. The hole in the sole became a campaign issue…

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MELVIN M. BELLI – THE KING OF TORTS

MELVIN M. BELLI – THE KING OF TORTS

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On July 9, 1998 Melvin Mouron Belli, "The King of Torts," died in his San Francisco home of pancreatic cancer. He was 88 years old. He was survived by his fifth wife, three sons and three daughters. I happened across a reference about Belli that reminded me what an enormous figure he was in the   plaintiff’s bar for so very many years. I decided to review some highlights in this admittedly over long post, but given the extraordinary figure he…

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POLITICAL VIDEO CLIPS

POLITICAL VIDEO CLIPS

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This is purely a political posting so if you are a Republican, you can skip this entire message. I get E-mails with some clever political things in them. Two are worth looking at. The first deals with the ridiculous attempt by John McCain to distance himself from George Bush now that Bush's policies have turned out to be as disaster. When he thought showing agreement with Bush policies would get him votes, he bragged about supporting Bush more than 90% …

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LITA BARNETT LUVERA RECEIVES THE 2008 GONZAGA UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

LITA BARNETT LUVERA RECEIVES THE 2008 GONZAGA UNIVERSITY DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI AWARD

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On Thursday, October 16, 2008 Gonzaga University presented its 2008 Gonzaga University Distinguished Alumni Awards. My beautiful and talented wife, Lita Barnett Luvera, along with orthopedic physician John W. Staeheli, Boeing executive William Geary, and developer Michael A. Tucci received awards. My unbiased opinion is, of course, that Lita gave the best acceptance speech and was most deserving of her honor. Various photographs from the lives of the recipients were shown on a screen as the reasons for giving the…

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THURSDAY’S PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

THURSDAY’S PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE

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I have been wrong about who "won" the presidential debate each time it has occurred. So, with that in mind, here’s my take on Thursday’s debate. First, moderator Bob Schieffer was so significantly better then any previous moderator of these debates that he should be given the job permanently. For the first time searching questions were asked and the candidates better required to answer them. He was the first moderator who seemed to me to be in full control. My…

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THE ROSETTA STONE OF ANCIENT EGYPT

THE ROSETTA STONE OF ANCIENT EGYPT

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The hieroglyphic words pictures painted on Egyptian ruins were a mystery for many centuries. No one could translate them. That was true until a lucky discovery in 1799 when French soldiers were digging the foundation for an addition to a fort in the Egyptian town of el-Rashid or Rosetta. The soldiers found a large stone weighing some 1,676 pounds. It had gray, blue and pink hues to it and was inscribed with writing along with hieroglyphics. Napoleon took possession of…

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