FIGHTING AMONG THE RELIGIOUS MONKS AT THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER

FIGHTING AMONG THE RELIGIOUS MONKS AT THE CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER

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The Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem has been historically venerated by Christian religions as the site of Christ’s crucifixion, burial and resurrection. It’s located at the end of a street Via Dolorose, the path of sorrows. The Roman emperor Hadrian had erected a temple to Venus in this location. In 326 the mother of Emperor Constantine came to the city looking for sites associated with Christ. She decided this was the site of the resurrection and felt she…

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REMEMBRANCE DAY NOVEMBER 11, 2008

REMEMBRANCE DAY NOVEMBER 11, 2008

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The Shrine of Remembrance is located in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of the largest war memorials in Australia and was originally built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I (1914 – 1918). Erected between 1928 and 1934 it was constructed during a time of great unemployment and financial crisis in Australia. 300,000 people were present during the opening of the memorial. This huge granite structure is on top of a…

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WURLITZER MANOR AND GARDENS IN GIG HARBOR, WA

WURLITZER MANOR AND GARDENS IN GIG HARBOR, WA

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Last Saturday night my wife Lita and I attended the Tacoma Symphony fund raising auction at the convention center in Tacoma. One of the items available was a musical visit to the Wurlitzer Manor and Gardens in Gig Harbor (http://www.wurlitzermanor.com/) We live in Gig Harbor and some how I had never heard of this place or a Wurlitzer organ in our area, so I looked it up on the Internet. I found an article in the Puget Sound Online Pipeline…

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ROY OMSTEAD AND PROHIBITION

ROY OMSTEAD AND PROHIBITION

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The Seattle PI reports that Ken Burns, the documentary film maker, is planning a documentary film on Seattle bootlegger Roy Olmstead (1886 – 1966). From 1920 to 1933 the sale and distribution of alcoholic beverages was illegal in the United States under prohibition. However, Olmstead became Washington’s biggest bootleggers’s even before that time. On November 1, 1914 by a margin of 52% Washington voters passed an initiative making this state one of 23 other "dry" states which prohibited the sale…

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CATHOLICISM AT THE CROSSROADS by Paul Lakefield

CATHOLICISM AT THE CROSSROADS by Paul Lakefield

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In his book Catholicism at the CrossroadsPaul Lakeland examines the Catholic Church of 2008. Lakeland teaches at Fairfield University and holds the Aloysius P. Kelly S.J. Chair in Catholic Studies there. He has written previous books on the subject, one of which won first place for theology in the Catholic Press Association’s 2005 awards. Here are a few of he points he makes in this well thought out and reasonable book. In his list of some ten steps toward a…

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PAUL LUVERA SR – 1898 – 1990 A truly unique man of his times

PAUL LUVERA SR – 1898 – 1990 A truly unique man of his times

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November 4this the anniversary of the death of my father, Paul Luvera, Sr. Dad died in Anacortes, Washington on that date in 1990 at age 92. He was born March 25, 1898 in Reggio Calabria, Italy, the son of Niccola and Fillippa Luvera. Reggio is located right at the toe of Italy across from Sicily. His Italian name was Paolo Nicola Luvera, but in America he was Paul Nicholas Luvera.. In 1902 my grandfather Nicola was working in a slaughter…

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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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