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Month: April 2011

THE SURPRISE ENDING OF THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE WAR SHIP VASA IN 1628

THE SURPRISE ENDING OF THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THE WAR SHIP VASA IN 1628

This is the story of the maiden voyage of a warship designed by a king and built to his specifications, so what could go wrong? Construction of the warship Vasa began in Sweden in 1626. King Gustafus Adolphus wanted a large war ship with great fire power. It was a huge ship 226 feet (69 meters) long and 38 feet wide. It stood 172 feet high. There were ten sails and was intended for a crew of 145 sailors plus 300 soldiers….

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GOODBY HAWAII

GOODBY HAWAII

A week after we arrived we are leaving warm, sunny Hawaii for cold & rainy Seattle. It's been a relaxing business/vacation trip. We have been at the Fairmont here at Maui which is located next door to the Four Seasons. Our unit is below the hotel main building where there are a row of two level rooms near the water with small dip pools. Except to eat and a couple of shopping trips we have not left our area. We have…

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MAUI, THE ISLAND PARADISE

MAUI, THE ISLAND PARADISE

Greetings from tropical Maui with warm temperatures and the sound of crashing waves. Yes, I know it is Good Friday & Lent,  but Lita and I are here for  business. I have a deposition of a client next week in a case we have here in Maui. It is a tragic case involving a Maui man, married with young children who was treated for a tumor with radiation therapy and was given excessive amounts with devastating consequences to  him. Maui lawyers have…

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ADMIRING THE TRULY UNSELFISH LAWYERS

ADMIRING THE TRULY UNSELFISH LAWYERS

I have been a trial lawyer for over fifty years with a law practice focused on those who have suffered damages or harm due to the fault of someone else. I'm usually content with what I have done for others during this last half century of being a lawyer until I go to an affair like the one I just attended. Last year I was inducted into the National Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame along with Phil Corboy, Chicago; J.B. Spence,…

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MORE WHINING ABOUT CATHOLIC MASS

MORE WHINING ABOUT CATHOLIC MASS

Last week I posted a complaint about the liturgy after attending Sunday Mass which offended some.https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2011/04/sunday-worship-for-catholics-consists-of-a-liturgy-service-consisting-of-prayer-bible-readings-a-homily-and-the-eucharistic.html But, now Fr. Thomas Reese , a Jesuit priest and former Editor in Chief of America and now a senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington has published an article indicating I am not alone in my views. The April 15, 2011 National Catholic Reporter carried his  article "The hidden Exodus: Catholics becoming Protestants." Fr. Reese reports on the…

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COACH PAUL “BEAR” BRYANT

COACH PAUL “BEAR” BRYANT

Allan Barra wrote a book, The Last Coach, about Alabama coach Bear Bryant. I thoroughly enjoyed it and enjoyed reading about this football coaching great. Here are few notes about the contents you might find of interest. • In the 1951 sugar bowl, Bryant's team made a spectacular upset against Bud Wilkinson’s ranked number one Oklahoma team. Afterwards in the locker room, in the middle of the shouting and cheering, Bud Wilkinson, the Oklahoma coach, walked in and the room…

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WHY DOES CATHOLIC MASS HAVE TO BE SO BORING?

WHY DOES CATHOLIC MASS HAVE TO BE SO BORING?

OK,  I'm  willing to take the heat and anger over the title to this post because I'm frustrated having just returned from our local Sunday parish service. So here goes. Sunday worship for Catholics consists of a liturgy service consisting of prayer, bible readings, a homily and the Eucharistic service which is the primary focus of the entire service. Catholics regard the service as a repeating of the last supper in which Christ directed his apostle to "do this in…

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TITANIC THOMPSON The Man Who Bet on Everything by Kevin Cook

TITANIC THOMPSON The Man Who Bet on Everything by Kevin Cook

I  just finished this book about Alvin Thomas who was known as Titanic Thompson.  he was an amazing man who made his living gambling on everything. He was particularly skillful in golf, poker and horseshoes. He was a man who made millions and spent millions. He ended up broke and in a nursing home. Nevertheless, he was an  extraordinary man who lived in the roaring twenties and died after World War II ended at an old age. I'll skip his gambling skills and…

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A RANT ABOUT FINAL FOUR ANNOUNCERS

A RANT ABOUT FINAL FOUR ANNOUNCERS

CBS and Turner Broadcasting decided they would experiment with a three person announcer presentation of the Final Four games. Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg and Steve Kerr were selected for a three man booth. Kerr had been a NBA analyst. Kellog replaced Billy Packer who had been a lead college basketball analyst for CBS for 27 years. Kellogg has done game and studio analysis for CBS for 16 years. He was to partner with Jim Nantz. So, how was the coverage?…

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ANACORTES SALMON PURSE SEINE FISHING IN THE 1950’S

ANACORTES SALMON PURSE SEINE FISHING IN THE 1950’S

 My wife's sister, Monica is an officer at our Gig Harbor Elks Club where her husband Richard is Exalted Ruler. At the last meeting she got talking with a retired Gig Harbor purse seine fisherman Nick Markovich and his wife. She learned they knew my parents because they bought groceries at our family grocery store in Anacortes while running a salmon fishing boat in the summer. He also thought he remembered I had fished on a local seine boat Victory. She told me about the…

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