Trish Vickers is a 59 year old woman who lives in Charmouth, Britain. She had operated a gift shop there. but developed diabetes and seven years ago became blind as a result. She decided to write, however she doesn't type or use computers. Instead she uses a system of rubber bands stretched across a writing pad as a guide for the ball point pen as she writes. She began to write poetry with this system. Then she was inspired to…
There has been considerable writing and discussion about the legendary Mike Wallace of 60 Minutes fame who just died. Some of it contains helpful messages for all of us. For example, Beth Knobel, who co-wrote Wallace’s book “Heat and Light” says he understood the importance of drama or what Wallace called “heat” as well as the light of objective information. She says he was always impeccably prepared and set high standards for investigative journalism. Leonard Shyles, who is a communication…
The March 23rd issue of Commonweal Magazine was intellectually stimulating on several subjects. Most were disturbing. Here are some brief summaries of several that I thought worth reflecting on The editoral comment was about America's wars. It pointed out that “the United States has been at war for more than a decade. Thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Iraqis, Afghans, and others have been killed. Tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians have been maimed or crippled. Trillions…
In March I published a report about a famous Japanese dog Hachiko. He is famous for having continued to go to the train station to meet his master every day for years after his master died at work of a heart attack. He was so famous a statute was erected at the train station in his honor. https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2011/03/hachiko-the-words-most-loyal-dog.html Now we have a report of an unnamed dog in China whose owner died earlier this month and who refuses to leave…
I am grateful for the excellent article about cross examination from the Baltimore DailyRecord http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4183/is_20030620/ai_n10056158/entitled“Cross Examining the Mendacious Witness” because of the testimony in a ethics hearing in Scottsdale. Miracopa County sheriff Joe Arpaio testified in a hearing by the Bar Association to discipline the County Prosecuting Attorney and his deputy for their conduct in charging a number of people in authority,including a sitting Superior Court Judge with various crimes as a means of olitical pay back. The good sheriff…
On September 10, 1931 the Anacortes newspaper (the Mercury I assume) ran an article: “A drive to net $2,500 for the aid of the unemployed in Anacortes this winter will be launched Monday morning when committees headed by chairman Paul Luvera call on business houses and individuals in the city from whom donations are expected. A check for $100 from Father Gustave Treunet will start the campaign. Others will get in the act. Al Stellenthin will donate $5 and one…
The news reports that suspected members of the Taliban hanged an eight yearold son of the local police commander in Southern Afghanistan when his father refused to surrender with his police vehicle and weapons. They had kidnapped the boy and warned the father they would kill his son if he didn’t agree. The father, Mohammed Dauoud, 36, said he received a phone call with the demand saying his son Mohammed Ibrahim, had been kidnapped and would be killed if he…
The website TED is a one I enjoy visiting as often as I can. It features video talks by many different people on a variety of subjects. One talk I particularly enjoyed was by Ric Ellias Three things I learned while my plan crashed – http://www.ted.com/talks./ric_elias.html. He had a front row seat on Flight 1549 that crash landed in the Hudson River in January of 2009. He describes what went through his mind when he realized he might not survive….
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…
President Obama has decided we should intervene in Libya and has authorized our dropping bombs on military installations as well as other military targets. He says it is to support the people and their right to freedom and to promote democarcy there. Many of us are mystified by his decision. We have now involved ourselves militarily in one more country when history doesn't support the bombing and cost is bankruptingly high. We are still mired in military action in Afghanistan and Iraq. Both…
