The Life and Times...

What I learn by listening: Anorexia

2009-10-22T22:10:00.009-04:00

No one seems to know what causes anorexia, but Prof. Jeremy Wolfe podcasts his course, Psychology 101, from MIT, on iTunesU, and gives a chilling account of the pattern that most people who fall in this category come from. Anorexia, of course, is the disease that will find someone absolutely attesting that everything is fine when s/he is wasting away with shrinking vital organs, sometimes resulting in death.

First, anorexia apparently only occurs in countries where both "food is plentiful" and "thinness is glorified", in fact where we simultaneously obsess over both thinness and food. For about forty years, this was associated with white, middle class western culture. but it recently has spread to other ethnic groups and, more recently, to Japan and China.

Second, it typically occurs among females, specifically young, post-menapausal females who usually are "always doing things right". They are self-disciplined, take care of themselves, do their homework, and generally, follow the rules.

Third, and this was the shocker, they come from families that are achievement-oriented, somewhat overprotective and "enmeshed" in the lives of each other. Prof. Wolfe gives the example of his own extended enmeshed family. When they try to go out to eat it takes 30 minutes to decide where. Shortly into the debate someone will say "Granny doesn't like that place", but it isn't Granny who is speaking up. It is the type of family where everyone tries to speak for everyone and is intolerant of individuals "acting out" anger. If there is an issue, the family tries to smooth it out, quietly, as a unit.

He throws in additional complicating cultural factors, such as the "myth of the superwoman" and how, with self-control, you should be able to fix anything in your life.

The implication seems to be that the young woman desperately wants to control something and she finds that, through self-discipline, she can reduce her eating intake which she equates to self-control, beauty and thinness, all good things. In fact, as an added benefit, the less she eats, the more she finds that she also controls everyone else around her, as they, of course, tear their hair out trying to get her to change while she remains oblivious to the danger she poses to herself.

Few things work all of the time as a cure for anorexia. In the hospital, control over treats such as letting friends visit, sometimes provides enough incentive to get the person to eat. That doesn't always work, however, when they return to the free environment. Counseling the family, as a disorder of the family where the daughter is the treated as the designated victim, also sometimes works, although it must be difficult to reach such an understanding. Most people, however, do eventually recover.

Bulima, on the other hand, occurs largely among the unattached, people who really want to fit in. This often includes a lot of social eating and drinking. It also includes wanting to fit into those tight jeans to fit in socially as well. Unlike anorexics, they feel ashamed and want to diet. But while dieting they feel the hunger and binge, followed by rounds of vomiting and more bingeing. It is as if the brain is saying you are not getting enough nutrition, so "go eat more". Group therapy for bulimics, meeting other people with the same problems, helps remove some of the shame and isolation and is usually quite effective.

What I found so chilling about the description of anorexia is, that, at first glance, how everybody seems to be doing "right" things. He uses this example, however, as a demonstration of how subtlely mental illness can take hold.

The disease must come as a great and terrible surprise to the individuals and families that it strikes. I have never previously ever heard or read anything that I thought might help people deal with the situation. Perhaps this can help a little.

Prosperity Comes to Espirito Santo

2008-06-08T04:11:00.006-04:00

In April we had a 5-day quick visit to our family in Brazil. In each visit it strikes me how Brazil constantly re-defines itself. This time it was apparent that the time for that old joke about "Brazil always being the country of the future" might be retired.

Most of my nephews and nieces, who I had long noticed were so serious as students, now have almost all landed good jobs in the entrepreneurial sector, many associated with Petrobras. They are building a HQ in Vitoria that is said to employ 10,000 future jobs. For right now, many of that generation have left Vitoria to take jobs in Rio until the new HQs opens up. Most of them are individual consultants, self-incorporated. Benefits vary, but it is a different mold than that of "government employee-mentality".

Another nephew plays in a band in bars at the "Triangulo das Bermudas". This is a collection of lively night spots in Praia do Canto, which you shouldn't miss. Praia da Costa in Vila Velha has also developed beautifully. Daughter Julie already settled on her dream home there, right at the curve at the beach, but, lacks the $300,000 to buy it. Housing prices in general have soared in the passed six years. Is it a bubble or something those of us that have thought about retiring there shouldn't miss out on?

The hills inside Vitoria, that used to house the favelas, are now all built up with real homes. Even the downtown is undergoing historic preservation. The CVRD plant, once the jewel, is now looked at as an eyesore and source of pollution.

While I haven't gotten back to Barra de Sao Francisco for about 6 years, I am told that it is hard to find a parking spot. The Barra and Ecoporanga have both profited big time from the development of granite. I would love to see the Barra now.

Crime remains a problem, but like in the US, it is concentrated in pockets. Close in suburbs, like Cariacica must be very difficult to live in, but that has little impact on day to day life in Vitoria, except for some normal precautions one might take anywhere.

Most of my friends from back in the day had long since moved from the interior to Vitoria, making it easy for me to visit them. Now they are retiring and turning the country over to a new generation. I think the new generation will do very well. My friends are starting to move again to places 40 or 50 miles out, like Campinho and Aracruz. They talk about turning back to their hunting and fishing roots and a quieter lifestyle. Sounds nice.

Vitoria was cleaner and prettier than I ever saw it before. Traffic was sometimes congested, but orderly with a surprising respect for pedestrians. The people were happier than I remembered, even from just a few years ago. It was a short, but great trip. We did it now, mostly out of fear that our own nation's economy may be entering a more tenuous phase and who knows when we will be able to do it again. I hope it will be often and frequent.

I guess, for Brazil, the future has arrived.

The meaning of Christmas

2007-12-25T22:17:00.000-05:00

I find that the meaning of Christmas has a very simple message. Whether you believe that Jesus was a divine messenger, a prophetic messenger or a wise-man messenger that had great knowledge of God. The message of his birth is the same, "we are not alone".

On Reading "Death Comes to the Archbishop"

2007-10-27T05:09:00.000-04:00

I woke up way too early today and was lamenting to myself the loss of earlier times in my life, when I had more time to spend with friends talking about things in our lives or what we read. Then I realized that that is what blogs and insomnia were invented for.

This morning I am dwelling on the themes of place and time from a book Arthur Powers told me to read, "Death Comes to the Archbishop", by Willa Cather. Now Willa Cather should be near the top of just about everybody's favorite authors, just for having written "My Antonia". Anyway, I had never heard of this book before, so I gave it a try.

Cather said it was an experimental novel for her, written about 1927. It was like some early Italian movies, more about place than story. She paints (really paints in print) images of the American Southwest in the middle to late 19th century. She notes without preaching, the different relations that Indians, Mexicans and the newcomer Americans all had to the place or to the land. The Indians sought mostly to blend into the environment, not using windows because they felt the reflection scarred the earth, while the Americans came to plant, grow and change it. One can almost hear echoes of these relationships in today's debates on climate change.

A second theme was the sense of time. Haydee has been telling me about her speculations that time could be more circular than linear. The Archbishop, in his old age, goes back and visits the southwest of his youth, just the way I increasingly spend my time enjoying, really enjoying, my experiences of much younger years. People start to think he is going senile, but that misses the point.

I remember visiting my mother in the hospital in her later years. She greeted me with "what a shame, you just missed all of my old friends from Marquette (her college), they were here and we had a wonderful time." To this day I regret being so pigheaded skeptical instead of just asking her "tell me all about it". Maybe you have to be past 60 to understand that dimension.

In addition to the more obvious reasons to like the book, it also held my attention for a more personal one. I had always understood that Regis College, my alma mater, was started in Las Vegas, NM in the latter part of the 19th century and that Bishop Machbeuf invited the College to move to Colorado when he moved New Mexico to become Bishop in Denver. Bishop Machbeuf it turns out was actually the principal supporting character, Fr. Vaillant, in the book. Machbeuf Hall was the dorm with tons of cute girls at Loretto Heights College down the road from Regis.

At the very beginning of the book, Fr. Latour, the bishop, and Fr. Vaillant are commissioned to set up a diocese in the newly won territory of the southwest United States in Santa Fe, NM. Only, it is so new, no one can tell them how to find Santa Fe. It takes them two years to get there and the Mexican priests in the region said no one told them they were getting a new bishop and won't listen to these strangers. So, Latour has to spend another year to cross the desert to the west coast of Mexico to get his credentials from the Mexican archbishop as well.

Along the way, he acquires a mule, named Contento. Contento remains as much a part of the story as anyone else. As for me, I feel like a just took a trip across the southwest, riding a mule named Contento, and I did it all in the latter part of the 19th century.

Now, with all that accomplished, I can go back to sleep.

God and Science: Aceptance and Belief

2007-08-12T22:31:00.002-04:00

I have long been troubled by the use of the word "belief". Especially how it is used comparing belief in things we know from religion and belief in things we know from science. Should we even use the same word when talking of things physical and things spiritual? For instance, I believe that the sun will rise in the morning and I believe that if I let go of a ball, it will drop down. I really believe those things. As often as I observe them, they always happens the same way. But I never felt that that was the same way I felt about what I "believe in" about God.

But, wait a minute!

Science tells me that the sun doesn't really rise in the morning. Science tells me that the earth and sun are revolving around each other as they are together hurtling through space at some millions of miles an hour or something. I don't believe that. I accept it, because other people think that is the best explanation, but don't believe it. I can't even comprehend it. And then science tells me that the ball is not really just dropping down, but that the ball and the earth are attracted toward each other and are both moving, however so slightly, in some Newtonian notion of science, toward each other. Now, once again, I can accept that because people a whole lot smarter than I tell me that that is a what they say. But "believe it", come on, NO WAY! In fact, Einstein didn't believe it was the whole story either and described some fascinating system of gravity as a web that someday will probably take the spinning theory's place.

Don't get me wrong. I am not anti-science. I actually accept all of these things as theories, or at least as very likely theories that the smart and intelligent people I seem to think give us pretty good explanations. The things I believe in are those I can see and verify for myself. So, therefore, I believe that the sun rises and I believe that balls drop. I accept that earth and sun revolve around each other and that they are both hurtling through space. I accept that the ball and earth are attracted together and that together they are part of some gigantic web or something. That is OK. I can accept these things without troubling myself about really understanding them any better than the simple way I explained them above.

I invite any readers to explain it to me better and disabuse me of my mis-understandings, but I doubt I will ever reach the point of thinking that I really believe them. They are theories designed to explain, in a consistent manner, what we see but can't explain. In a way, it is something of a convenience.

This all brings me back to things spiritual. I don't know if I believe in God the same way I conceptualize God or the same way that many others might do so. What I believe in is a power of good or of love so much greater than anything I can really understand. I believe this because I have experienced it, usually through other people. I also believe that I have felt that power of love acting in my life, greater than anything I can do on my own. This, I can believe, is God. It is like my belief that the sun will rise and that the ball will drop. I have been fortunate to have had these experiences, even sometimes during great spiritual pain or dryness. Now that is talking about something of convenience!

It doesn't stop there however. Wise and well meaning people have developed theories that tie these and other strands of my religion or even other religions into notions and theories that seek to explain it all. I like to think about the concepts discussed, but I don't dwell on trying to understand them. Anyway, they are called mysteries. Mysteries invite us to enter into deep and profound thought. But people proclaiming that they know mysteries, may just be putting limiting something way beyond the human ability to limit.

Now, I can accept many of these popular theories of god, just as I accept Newton's or Einstein's theory of gravity. But, when I put all of the helps and experiences of love that I have had, that is what I call my belief in God.

McCarville/McCarvill Reunion

2007-08-12T21:39:00.000-04:00

Last weekend, Haydee and I and Sean and Nancy attended a McCarville/McCarvill reunion in Clarksville, Md.

We have never been sure how our branch of the family (the Owen McCarville-Jane Lynch group) fit into the rest of these honorable McCarvilles. They all trace their ancestry back to a Thomas McCarville in a family tree that we are not really part of. It was the first time we ever met with this group.

We met many new friends, two of them called Jim McCarville. One Jim McCarville, the one from Minneapolis, told me of the family DNA project that has conclusively proved we have a common ancestor. We just don't know how far back. (By the way, he graciously offered to host the reunion next year in Minneapolis.)

We met another family with a Jim McCarville from Buffalo. They are all big hockey fans and promised to come to see a game at the Igloo before it closes in 2009-2010. By the way, the Buffalo McCarville's don't know how they fit into the Thomas tree either.

I got to argue about whether my friend, old King McCarville, qualified for the definition of a "High King" (I thought so). I bought the updated McCarville/McCarvill CD and went out today to by the Family Tree Maker software. (I should have more updates in the future.) The great T-shirts were worth the trip alone!

It was great that Nancy came along, she is a Gilbert with her own stories, but (and this was my favorite part), she listened so patiently to all of ours.

We stayed at the Inn at Peralynna Manor that we found on Mapquest. It looked like a corporate retreat or wedding reception place that was not otherwise booked for this weekend. The food was fantastic and the service very attentive. The decor was a tad on the over-opulent or even faux opulent side. One of our group, who will remain nameless, said it looked like it was decorated by Michael Jackson, But none of this is to say it detracted from our stay. In fact, it just added to a really great weekend.

Patsy Cline, Always

2007-07-21T22:43:00.000-04:00

Haydee, Julie and I went out to see "Always", the tribute show to Patsy Cline tonight at the Pittsburgh Caberet. It was a great show, but the gem of the evening was discovering the Caberet. It is a nice little dinner theater that you could imagine might have been a place that Patsy could have played. Well, maybe you need a little imagination to come up with that. But it was great to hear, "Walkin after Midnight", "Fall to Pieces", Crazy" and 17 other songs they way she would sing them.

Patrick McCarville Named Public Defender for Salinas Co.

2007-07-11T22:48:00.000-04:00

Patrick McCarville was named Public Defender for Salinas County, Colorado, on July 1, 2007. Follow the link to find out who he got to defend on his first day on the job. Congrats, Pat!

http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/13605055/detail.html

If you click on the second video link to the right of the article, Camper Charged with Murder, and you will see him at work. At least you see his back in a nice suit.

Over 60? Get Your Shingles Shot!

2007-07-04T10:41:00.000-04:00

"You know that there is a shot for that now."

Those were the first words out of my doctor's mouth, even before he told me that the lesions on my head were, as I now know, "shingles".

I had never thought much about shingles and, when I did, thought they had been pretty much tamed. Turns out from the many stories of friends and acquaintances, that this virus is very much among us, 10-20% of us are likely to get it, and greatly misunderstood.

Shingles is the same virus that has remained dormant in our nervous system ever since we first had chicken pox. When it wakes up, it travels down the nerves to erupt on the skin. It shows up as feeling of high sensitivity and then what looks like a rash or hives on one side of the body. Mine hit the right hand side of my face. The pox outbreak lasts 7-10 days, and mine is nearly gone, but the pain and numbness can last for 3-5 weeks. Some cases may have longer term impacts, including possibly on the eye.

Shingles is not contagious. With direct contact, a person with shingles can pass the virus on to someone who has never had chicken pox, but you can only get shingles from yourself. It is treatable if diagnosed early. If one is suspicious, don't wait to get it checked out. Just don't.

Dr. Ellis tells me that in 2006 the AMA approved a new shot for shingles. (Web pages indicate that Merck developed it and market it as Zostavax.) According to Dr. Ellis, the AMA recommends that everyone over 60 get the shot. Early tests indicated it reduces the chance of getting shingles by 50%. If I can do any favor, it is to pass this advice on to my friends who may read this page. If you can reduce your chances of getting this by 50%, you want to do it.

IF YOU ARE OVER 60, GET YOUR SHINGLES SHOT!

A little clarification on the life and times…

2007-06-14T21:32:00.000-04:00

To whom it may concern:

Sean McCarville dives in caves.

Jim McCarville writes about ailments and eye surgery and stuff.

Red Stripes and Bats

2007-06-12T21:08:00.000-04:00

Spelunking Pictures

2007-05-20T23:17:00.001-04:00

I'll post more online some where

Sean's Spelunking Advanture

2007-05-20T22:48:00.000-04:00

Sean just returned from vacation in Jamaica, checking out dirty dingy caverns and other similar places. He's still editing his comments, so there may be more to come. His words are better than mine, so here they are.

Posted by Sean McCarville
Unnamed Cave
We parked just past a small rural auto shop (two guys in the hills with a roof and a monkey wrench – on second thought I’m not sure they really had a roof) and backtracked up the road just a bit to find a path leading to what we thought would be Falling Cave. The trail was not surprisingly overgrown, and I was glad to be wearing long pants but was still a little uncomfortable with the hard hat (and headlight) I was wearing. Crossing a small stream I slipped on a wet rock and took a pretty hard fall on to a log. My side it still a bit sore from the fall six days later. Now I’m quite paranoid thinking either my boots have lost all their traction or these rocks are somehow far more slippery than what I am used to on the Blue Ridge Mountains. We follow the stream up the hill (paranoia continues) and reach the entrance to the cave. Everyone probably says this but it seemed like it was straight out of a movie. Two bats flew out of the cave. No one else saw them, and there was a sparrow's nest near by, but the two creatures I saw looked and flew like bats. I wish I could get a second look to be sure.

The entrance was perhaps eight feet tall by eight feet wide, rocky and had a stream of water flowing out and down the hill. My guess is it was about a quarter of the way up the hill, maybe 20 meters from the bottom. As we went in it narrowed quickly and the water got deeper quickly so we had to place our feet on either side of the cave walls to walk along which was difficult to do since all my footsteps were under about a foot of water. About 35 feet into the passage we got to a waterfall that was about 6 feet high and we had to climb up, which was nerve wracking (remember my earlier fall in the stream), but relatively easy. Again the cave narrowed and the water got deep very quickly to the point that it was up to my chest so I really could not see where I was stepping. I only remember about a foot of air space between the water and the roof of the cave. The other guys thought it was cool that they had found a huge crawfish in the entrance to the cave but I was just hoping I didn’t feel anything crawl up my leg. After another 35 feet we got to and area with more breathing room and a split. There was a small tributary coming in on the right and a five foot climb on the left. We tried the left first. This climb was drier and much easier but the cave narrowed so quickly after that, we were afraid it could take too long to get out if the water rose and trapped us in (by we were afraid I mean they were concerned, since I was mostly afraid of slipping again but other than that was just along for the ride and negotiating emotions of “this is fucking crazy” with “this is really cool” and having one of the times of my life. We decided it was only safe to go further in the dry season and headed back. Drew decided to explore the tributary, which I could not believe, and I saw him disappear into the hole which reminded me of Whinny the Poo getting stuck in Rabbit’s hole after eating too much honey. He tried to call out what he was seeing but since he was blocking the entire hole I could only hear muffled noises. Eventually he found a larger room and was able to turn around and come out. Yuan got a great photo of him coming out of the tributary. Then it was back through the deep water, down the waterfall, though the first part, and out. Turns out the cave wasn’t Falling Cave, instead it was a small unnamed cave.

Marta Tick Cave
It was a 5 kilometer or so ride on a barely existent road from the house we slept in to the trail leading to the cave. The trail was much easier to get through as another larger group had recently gone through. The JCO members were disappointed to learn a group of tourists had been taken up to the cave to see the bats. I could not help wondering if they realized I was little different than a tourist but felt no need to share that insight with anyone. After a half hour hike up and down a couple hills through the thick forest we arrived at some large jagged boulders. Most of the stone in the “cockpit” region of Jamaica was limestone and had been eroded by water into jagged Swiss cheese rocks. We climbed up the boulders and continued up the hill for a bit until we could see the entrance to the cave above us. Again it was a scene out of a movie with the forest and vines around us and everything else. We climbed up to the entrance which was quite wide, perhaps seven feet tall by 20 feet wide, and looked into a beautiful room about 20 feet high, 40 feet deep by 50 feet wide filled with rocks, stalactites and stalagmites, and apparently the room received just enough light for some greenery to grow. It looked like moss at first to me but also a little small shrubbery if I remember correctly.

Bat Roost
There were two tunnels leading away from the first room. We started with the one on the left that led to the bat roost. The entrance was grand, it was large and after a few turns we were inside. After perhaps only 30 feet the bats were flying around us, the cave was getting much darker as we were further from the entrance, and I was being dive bombed by a handful of bats that were either panicking and flying toward my headlamp or trying to scare us off. The ground was completely guano at this point and was very soft under my footsteps. A few times I looked up and could hardly comprehend what I saw, clusters of bats flapping their wings, and after a few moments I’d have to turn my light away out of fear the entire group would break out of their cluster and start flying around (perhaps at me). I wasn’t sure if the bats had been flapping their wings all long or only started when I looked up at them. I tried to look up twice more and finally decided not to do it again. At this point the cave seemed to split although either way led to a much larger room that was the main bat roost. The bottom of the room was about 10 feet deeper and the ceiling may have been 5 feet higher. I can’t even guess at the number of bats except to say it was in the thousands. Our group leader headed into the main cavern to get a better look, I was quite content to stay just on the edge. At some point about this time I started to wonder why thousands of gnats would be living in a cave with bats that would eat them. I realized then the gnats were there because of the guano, and therefore there were also spiders and other bugs which could eat the gnats, in effect a whole eco system was possible in the cave because of the bats. Shining my light down I saw a fleeting glimpse of a bunch of shiny stuff that disappeared, some kind of bug, no doubt, that burrowed into the guano away from my light. I noticed one of my companions had turned off his headlamp and was no longer bothered by the gnats. I turned my light off, waved my hand back and forth a few times and they were gone. It was somewhat quiet although there was some noise from the bats, and I realized I was squatting down in a cave in the darkness in guano, with gnats and bats above me, and spiders, crickets, and who knows what else below. We did a little more searching for invasive species (other than ourselves and headed out). The JCO members were please the roost was still healthy and fairing much better than some of the others which have been disturbed to the point they are hardly remaining intact.

Second Tunnel – Marta Tick Cave
The second tunnel in the Marta Tick Cave (the first being the Bat Roost) immediately descended about 5 feet, turned to the right and quickly became a crawl through the mud (at least it was red mud and didn’t look like guano). Someone had left a rope that was tied at the entrance to the cave and ran along side us. At some points we had to crawl flat on our bellies and thinking back it is remarkable I didn’t experience any claustrophobia at this point or any other. The cave remained rather wide, more than 7 or 8 feet wide in most places so that may have made it easier to deal with. After 60 feet or so we got to the first obstacle – a hole about 14 or 15 inches in diameter we had to fit through. The only way I could do it was to lie on my right side, stick my left arm through while keeping my right arm at my side, and then pull with my left arm, inch along with my right shoulder which was underneath me, and push with my toes. I could move forward a few inches at a time with this method and made it through ok. The cave then turned a to the left for the second section. More crawling in parts, but also some places with 3 or 4 foot ceilings and stalactites. This section ended with another small hole to squeeze through. The third section started to get larger and we could stand after a while. We got to a place with a steep climb which looked difficult. The other guys had noticed split back just a bit so we took it instead. It went down and after a bit got to the toughest hole of all to get through. We all made it and went on for a bit and it started to open up, we even saw a bat fly by, I have no idea how it was able to navigate without getting lost. In this area I first saw stalactites growing in odd directions, some with hooks or barbs or spindles, some with hooks going in all directions. Apparently no one knows why this sometimes happens. There seemed to be many places to climb up, but they all dead ended or become to small to pass so we headed back. When we made it back to the climb we decided to give it a try. Yuan was able to make it up and tied off a rope. With the rope the climb was pretty easy. It was about a 25 foot climb, although the ground sloped down away from the bottom, so depending what you call the bottom it could have been a 35 foot thing. We climbed around up top and got to a real treat, a lot of white. I guess it was all stalactites and stalagmites but one part of it looked like some kind of wave. We went on into another room of all white, from which you could climb down into one more room of all white.

We headed back, down the rope taking it with us of course, back through the passages and belly crawling and out. While it was great, I could not wait to get out of the cave as I got closer to the exit.

Ahmadinejad's New Letter

2006-12-02T17:29:00.000-05:00

Today's Pittsburgh Tribune-Review carried an Associated Press article "Iran's letter to America just a PR stunt".

It was the first I heard of this, his second letter. What caught my attention was the reason the AP story gave why no one in America was interested.

It quoted some Iran specialist who said:

"'He's (Amadinejad's) ignorant of the attitude of American people' toward Iran....He believes that U.S. public opinion will be occupied with his letter and debate it. They (Iraninan leaders) have a huge lack of understanding of American public opinion and what moves it.'"

"Culture plays a role in his manner. In Iran --where discussions of poetry and theology are popular obsessions -- the abstract debate of ideas is a political tool not present in the United States". Ouch!

Well that got my attention and at least I read the letter. There was a lot of what might be expected and a lot that was not. It surprised me that he did speak with respect for the "God-fearing nations of the Iran and the US". One thought that stuck with me was that he said history has now "called these two great nations closer together at this time. " I had been think only in terms of drifting further apart.

You can read it for yourself at You can read it at http://www.foxnews.com/projects/pdf/iran_pres_letter.pdf

This letter, and his previous letter to President Bush in May, do set out how he sees the world and how he tries to explain it to his own people and how he thinks we think about this. I think he is more right about us being drawn closer together than the AP cited Iran specialist who thinks we are not interested in "the abstract debate of ideas". I just hope there is time for us to be drawn closer more for good than for ill.

Finally, contrary to the quoted Iran specialist, I trust that "the abstract debate of ideas" is still of great concern to the American public.

2006-09-17T21:24:00.000-04:00

2006-09-17T21:22:00.000-04:00

Eyes Ahead

2006-08-23T21:05:00.000-04:00

First, thanks for all of your concern, wishes and prayers regarding my recent eye operation.

Second, I just had my one week check up today with Dr. Lobes, the surgeon. The retina is reattached. There is no discussion of a second surgery. There is hope that, with new glasses, my eyesight in my right eye might be restored to 20-30, which might even be better than I had before. We do, however, need to wait a month or two to see how this develops.

Third, I just wanted you all to know that I had a long list of potential saints that need a miracle to be declared saints that I prayed to for a miracle. I told them, though, that I had no problem with their choosing to work the miracle through Dr. Lobes, although it probably is one of those technicalities that prevents them from getting the credit they may deserve. I think they helped anyway. So, if anyone ever needs this list of potential saints in need of a miracle, I would be glad to share it.

Fourth, let me say once again how important it was for me for your interest. Haydee and Julie took extremely good care of me, making sure that I really rested after I started to overexert myself, but also for your concern, emails and phone calls. I remember reading once a saying that said "people die when people stop caring". I know its an overstatment, but there is some meaning there as well as in the reverse case, "people live because people care". That's a miracle I appreciate very much!

Eye Surgery Results

2006-08-16T14:33:00.000-04:00

I am happy to report that the eye surgery went well. They only had to
operate on the right eye and, except for some blurry vision, I feel fine.
The doctor is hopeful that I will not need a second surgery. The only real
negative is he expects that I may have a significant increase in my near
sightedness over the next couple of months, but that is much better than
the alternative.

I will be working from home for the rest of the week and back in the
office on Monday.

Eye Surgery

2006-08-14T13:55:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I go in for eye surgery. I was diagnosed today with a detached retina
and hemoraging. The doc says they have a 80% chance of fixing it with one surgery,
but that I have the type of problem that may require a second surgery.

I only became aware of a problem about a week ago and thought it was probably a cataract. They didn't want to see me until September 21. I put up a fuss and am glad they let me come in now. Wish me luck and say a prayer.

Brazil Trip I

2006-07-15T13:34:00.000-04:00

Haydee and I just got back from one of our visits to Vitoria, Espirito Santo, and wanted to give you an update on some very interesting developments. It had been four years since our last visit. Except for Brazil losing early in the World Cup, and the fact we both were struck by a very nasty Brazilian flu bug for much of the trip, life was fine. But that is not what I want to report on.

ES is becoming, by Brazilian standards, quite a wealthy state. Petrobras is investing heavily in the state with its off-shore drilling, especially in Sao Mateus and Conceicao da Barra. While I didn't get north of Colatina, we were told that the north of the state, espeically areas like Ecoporanga, Nova Venecia and Barra de Sao Francisco, places that didn't have anything but rocks, poor coffee and a few cows, discovered that many of the rocks contained valuable granite. The granite is now mined, trucked to Cachoeiro to be polished and then trucked back to a very busy Port of Victoria for export.

Every day the newspaper announce some new "concurso" for public or private jobs. A couple of my own nephews and nieces had just landed nice ones. The young people have many more educational opportunities. There is now a University of Villa Velha and many many private universities. UFES just sign a contract with about 20 municipios for distance learning programs. I was impressed by the number of young people who studied "Informatica". It seemed many times more popular than I detect among students in the US and I expect it will have a remarkable effect in re-shaping the future of Brazil.

Along with opportunities, it is also attracting a lot of problems. Immigrants from Bahia and Minas Gerais, seeking a better life, find the problems arrive faster than the opportunities. Robberies and homocides seem out of control. The prisons are overcrowded and run by the gangs that they are designed to keep. The State, trying to break up the prison gang leadership, found it had prison riot on its hands. The "Policia Militar", who had come to put down the riot, were still in evidence.

The big story, for my former Peace Corps buddies, is what I found out about a couple of my old ACARES roommates, Gugu and Chateaubriand, and their conterpart from Nova Venecia, Ludovico. They have all retired but came back to work together on a special project. Gugu is, note this, the Executive Secretary to CEDRS, the "Conshelo Estadual de Desenvolvimento Rural Sustenivel". Currrently each county has a Council on Sustainable Rural Development. Half of the members are made up by the government and half are private citizens, including the priest, the pastor, the doctor, etc. Does any of this sound familiar? Does anyone still have the letter from the Governor inviting our Volunteer group to come to Brazil?

A big twist is that now federal funding bypasses the state and goes directly to these Councils.

I also had dinner with Ricardo Karol and talked with Brenda Powers on the phone. Brenda is still living in Brazil, for the time being, still running a small export business, while Artur is relocating to Raleigh, NC. Ricardo's travel agency, now Navigant, is in the process of being bought out for the second time in five years. Depending how that goes he may relocate to the states too, but he has meanwhile gone back to Brazilian Law School to plan for a second career, possibly in public service law.

By the way, our flight from Rio to Vitoria was supposed to be on Varig, until they ceased operations just as we were leaving from Pittsburgh. Thank goodness we had a friend in the travel business in Rio. Ricardo's crew took very good care of us.

Final notes: Traffic was horrific, but motorists were much more respectful of pedestrians. I saw more than one statue of Dr. Ruschi. Many people, who I never expected to, have quit smoking. The younger generation seems a head or more taller than their parents. Gerson Camarata is still in the Governor's Cabinet. People expect the Governor, Paulo Hartung, and the President, Lula, to be re-elected fairly easily. Nearly everyone told me that the value, in Reais, of their homes doubled in the last four years. The Real, at 3 to a dollar four years ago, also improved to almost 2 per dollar now. We all should've bought then.

Oh, about the World Cup. Everyone knows it must have been fixed.

Letter from Iranian President Ahmadi-Nejad

2006-05-10T23:02:00.000-04:00

It took a long time to find anyone who published the letter that the Iranian President sent to President Bush. If you are interested, here is a link.
http://medias.lemonde.fr/mmpub/edt/doc/20060509/769629_lettre.pdf

Calling All Lectionary Readers

2006-03-27T21:02:00.000-05:00

Is anyone out there interested in collaborating and/or coordinating a recording the "Lectionary", the readings common to many christian religions on a three year cycle. The church year begins the first week of advent, so we could start now for a December release of the next cycle. The readings are short, but best with three different voices for each week. We could also do different biblical versions to accomodate different religions or nuances. Perhaps they could be released on a weekly timetable, so it would not be too much work at any one time.

If you are interested, go to this address:
http://librivox.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=22929#22929
and post reply.

The Life and Times...

2006-03-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

The Life and Times...

Librivox, Gutenberg and Pinocchio

2006-02-12T14:46:00.000-05:00

I am always amazed to find something new and really useful on the internet, and how that changes how we can entertain ourselves. This find is one people should know about. Recently I came across librivox.org which is a volunteer collaborative project to make audio recordings of books in the public domain. access to these recordings is free. They read from texts of books in the public domain from another great website http://www.gutenberg.org/ which has already put 2,000,000 ebooks on line and 17,000 of those are available free. Anyway, back to librivox, some of the recordings are by single readers and some are collaborative efforts with multiple readers. Quality can vary, but some of it is excellent. I was able to contribute a chapter of one of my favorite books, the soon to be completed "Adventures of Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi. If you haven't read (or now listened) to the original story you are in for a real treat. It will amaze you what happens to Jimminy Cricket in Chapter 4. (Alright, just to wet your appetitte this isn't like the Disney version.)

Actually, the Gutenberg site has a few recordings of its own. As one who really likes to listen to audio books, but looks for things other than best sellers, this was an exciting find. If there are any other such free audio sites out there, I would like to hear about them.

Conversations with Julie - December, 1998

2005-08-25T21:24:00.000-04:00

I came across these notes, apparently about a conversation that I had with Julie in 1998. I can't say if they were my words or hers or probably some combination. All I can say is the heading on the scrap of paper says "Julie -12/98” and that we still have such interesting conversations. The rest you will have to figure out for yourselves.

Julie-12/98

Faith, Hope and Charity
Have, Give and Do

We don't have great problems if we feel loved and we can feel loved if our parents, or another, loves us, unconditionally.

When we don't feel loved unconditionally, we can blame ourselves, be dishonest to ourselves about who we are and what we are authentically given? We can then think that to be loveable we have to be some ideal other than what we are. If the other loves that ideal, then we spend our lives trying to be what we are not, seeking to be loved for what we we are not, what has not been given to us.

Great love sees the potential in a person and brings it out. Stifling love creates an image that the other does not posses.

Faith → Gift → Giveness. Given to everyone. Do we have the same ability to see it?

Hope → Trust. Investing in what we find, believe in. What the gifts are? What limits our ability to see the gifts.

Charity → Love → Service → Fore-Giveness. What we do with the knowledge of gifts given. Honest about what we are so we can be loved for what we are, accepting of others unconditionally so we can love them for what they have been given. Fore-Giveness.

Andre, Pope Benedetto, Cologne and Baseball

2005-08-21T13:12:00.000-04:00

Andre is in Cologne Germany today with his youth group to see Pope Benedict. I think I could see him in that picture of 800,000 or so people who were there. Andre seems to have found a nice niche as a youth minister, at least for the time being. He definetely has an extraordinary rapport with his youth group and a nice working relationship with the local church leaders.

I wonder a lot about where this Pope is going to take us. No doubt the world is unfolding as it should, but that is not always easily apparent. They keep writing that he is going to undertake a campaign against the philosophy of relativism. I don't know if the "they" define relativism the same way that I do, but I consider myslf a "very big" relativist, so I wonder a lot.

Relativism seems to make so much sense to me. I remember, the last year the Brewers won the pennant, however long ago that was, the announcer saying after the ground ball was hit that Robin Yount bobbled the ball before making the play and then added "it's not how badly you bobble the ball, but how quickly you recover". This always struck me as a reasonable philosophy of life. It is not so much what one accomplishes in life, as how one deals with the cards one is dealt. Whatever happens to us, the only thing we have some control over is how we respond to the situations we must face. I have always thought myself lucky to not have had to deal with some of the situations that I see my friends have to face. I also admire greatly those who have come through those situations in tact.

Whitewater Rafting

2005-08-21T13:11:00.000-04:00

We are planning a whitewater rafting trip on the Youghagany River in the next month. Anyone up for it?

Yoga and Sean

2005-08-21T13:02:00.000-04:00

Before he moved to Washington, Sean left us his card for his schoolhouse yoga classes. Haydee, Julie and I just got back from our third class. Sure makes the old back feel better.

Sean is living in Silver Spring, MD, and working at the US Department of Transportation as a Presidential Management Fellow. It is a really nice program. They pay real salaries plus a lot of student loans. After a while he may be able to rotate to different departments. The Fellowships are competitive for graduate students across the nation. It is a really good way to recruit new federal employees, even if it is only for a few years. It also provides a network for the new people coming in as well. In fact, almost every time I talk to him, the phrase "I was at a party last night when..." works its way into the conversation. It not only sounds like a good program to recruit new workers, but it sounds like fun for the employees too. Did our federal government learn something from the dot.com employers?

Battlestar Gallactica

2005-08-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

OK, I am hooked on this show. Sean, Julie and Jared and I trade suppositions after each show. Who else is hooked on this?

Evelyn Exceen McCarville's Diary - May 2, 1927

2005-06-21T22:25:00.000-04:00

Julie provided this update of her grandmother's diary.

MAY 2 (1927) MON

Well, the bug dances are over, and I’m, here in bed at 9 o’clock, ready to hit the hay to catch up on lost sleep.

Last Wednesday night I stayed home and last Thursday night I had a date with Van. Friday was the big night of the Journalism Jamboree, Conroy and Sheahan + Herrick came in style in a rented (big) car. Herrick had a rather doubtful looking girl from upstairs where he lives, and Karl had Marian Witmer. They (the boys) were all felling pretty “good” and before the dance was over they felt even better. It was quite a “wet” party.

I had some good dances – but it seems that the best dances I had promised were the ones they didn’t get to play – the last ones. Rupert Muleshy took Frances O’Boyle and we had the next to the last exchanged. I was disappointed, because I like him.

After the dance we went to “little Bohemia” and danced a while and then came home about 1:45. For further reference, see my dance program.

Saturday night I went with Meeba and this Reilly kid and Geo. Kilkenny. It was quite a stale party and we went to “Hollywood” and child’s afterwards. Didn’t come in until about 2:30. I like Kilkenny.

An awful thing happened before we left the house. Melba didn’t come until 9:35 and the taxi didn’t come until 9:45

And the boy smoked and got ash on Mrs. Couch’s wig, and oh, everything went wrong. I don’t know whether she heard me come in or not. I’ve expected her to say something, and I sneak around here like a dog. Gee, I was nervous while they were here. But we had a good time anyways. Kilkenny and Reilly call those 2 girls from Racine the “trick” dancers, and John Smith ordered Loraine Levernz not to trade with “tricky” girls. Joan Elva and Ellen. And they were so thrilled! Ellen had butterflies all over her dress. I was talking to them today, and they both fell for Kilkenny, and Aurelia was bemoaning the fact that she didn’ trade! How Kilkenny would enjoy that! I really feel sorry for those kids. So utterly unsophisticated.

Sunday morning I taught my Sunday school class down in the 3^rd ward, as usual, and went to 11 o’clock mass with Frances Murphy.

Dorothy Tolford stayed all night with me the night of the jamboree, and when she went home next day, she accidentally took my key with her. Saturday P.M. Viv Guteche and I were out to Dorothy’s and I forgot to bring my key home. So I had to borrow one from Mrs. Couch Sat. night and crawl in the window after church Sunday morning. Oh gosh, everything is goofy!

Van Slate came up yesterday afternoon and I brought him in my room (as Per Mrs. Couch’s past orders) but I think Nellies were shocked. I’m, not keen about it myself.

I had supper at the Badger Room with Karl Sheahan, and met Rupert afterwards, and he only spoke to Karl.

Rupert rooms next room to Van, and has found out all about our little romance. I hope it doesn’t stop him from taking me to the Sigma Delta Chi affair. Oh gee, such is life! And Van just called me up, and it’s 9:30 and Couch’s were home, and Mrs. Couch gave me a dirty look, and oh what’s the use?

Angels and Demons

2005-05-30T21:33:00.000-04:00

Ales Rarus found this interesting discription of the 'Illuminati'. Anyone who read the fascinating, yet ultimately disappointing Dan Brown first novel, "Angels and Demons" will probably enjoy this, unless of course you already figured it all out by yourself.

http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=71656

2005-04-24T21:09:00.000-04:00

Nina Grace McCarville Baptized on April 17, 2005.
Doesn't she look smart!

2005-04-24T12:20:00.000-04:00

Nina and her Grandmothers!

2005-04-24T12:19:00.000-04:00

Nina McCarville is welcomed as a Christian.
She didn't cry.
Sure sign of a happy Christian.

2005-03-28T22:06:00.000-05:00

Evelyn Exceen (McCarville)photo in the 1920s

Evelyn McCarville's Diary February 12, 1927

2005-03-26T10:32:00.000-05:00

Feb. 12 (1927)
Sat.
It’s a long, long tale I have to relate, and right now I feel too crazy and goofy to tell it. We’ve just come from the C.I.L. Party at the Union, and I never had such a bughouse time in all my life. To begin with there were about 150 girls there more or less and about 15 boys. So different from the usual affairs at the Union! About everybody there was from the third ward, and a lot of goofy costumes – oh gosh! A lot of Italians.
I had one dance with a fellow, and that was Hugh Deeny. There were only three or four Marquette fellows there. Oh it was fierce!
Dorothy, Ruth, Antoinette, Adeline and Ruth Driscall and I just raised cain. We danced the Virginia Reel and a lot of other bunk, and you’d think we were going on ten years old! I just felt devilish tonight, like burning up the town, and we did our best at the dance. Honestly we didn’t know what it was all about, and from the looks of the rest of the crowd they didn’t know that much. A different time, anyways.
Well, since I last wrote in this book much has happened!
As I said on Fed. 7 we joined the C.I.L. and it was their party we went to tonight.
On Feb. 8, Tuesday, we went to Rosalie Cullen’s Bridge Party at her home on Cedar St. Wonderful place, and sure had a good time.
Wednesday Ruth and I went to the Bridge Party of Delta Amicom at the Elks Club. Adeline Stills and her fiancé Prof. Wirth were there.
Thursday was the Modern Language Club Mixer at the Union, and I had a heavenly time being popular for a change. Dorothy Talford thinks I’m so popular. She should see me at some of the Ottumwa dances! I came home with Sheahan but after he left Mike came from around the Corner (as planned, and we talked for a while).
Friday I had a date with Van Slate. Nuff said. A dry time was had by all. Oh really he isn’t as bad as I like to pretend, but he talks so slow, and it slow, and is quite bashful!
Here I am down to tonight. 11:30 p.m. and I’m not going to get up tomorrow until 10:30 and I’m going to 11:00 mass.

Evelyn McCarville's Diary February 6, 1927

2005-03-25T21:02:00.000-05:00

Feb. 6
Sunday
Gee I feel smart! Had two telephone calls tonight – most I’ve had got a long time. I began to think for a while that I was about the most unpopular cuss on earth.
Ruth and I went to church tho’ and I’, so glad we did. I’m glad we go to a Catholic school, and church is so close. I told Ruth that I’ll bet if we went to Madison or Iowa we’d never be seen in a church except Sunday morning, and here we can at least visit church every day, and often attend mass and go to communion. That’s what really counts. Sometimes I think maybe they have more fun at other College and Universities, but after I go to church I thank my lucky stars I’m, here.

Evelyn McCarville's Diary February 5, 1927

2005-02-27T16:20:00.000-05:00

Julianne McCarville made this post from her grandmother's 1927 diary. If anyone else has a McCarville extended family story to tell, email me so I can put it up!

Feb. 5

Saturday

Yesterday was certainly my unlucky day. To begin with we were going to 7:15 Sodality mass this morning, and we didn’t get up until 7:30 so we went to 7:47 mass.

Then Marian Witmen told me my story was too “High Scholarly” for the “Journal”.

Then Dorothy Talfodd told me she had a date for the Junior Prom (I haven’t).

Then Vivian Gutsche told me Ban was mad at me because he called me up twice, and I was never home, and besides he didn’t believe in girls running around with every Tom, Dick + Harry! The idea! As if I did! Still I don’t want him to be mad at me, as someone who has to pay my way to shows.

Then I thought if Ban saw me at the game with Sheahan, my goose would be cooked!

Then Karl Shedhan was late in coming after me, and we were late to the game. Dorothy promised her back to Eloa Aelam at 10 of 8, and we didn’t get there until 8:30.

The rest of the evening wasn’t so bad. We lost the game, but it was good never the less. Afterwards, Dorothy, John Conroy, Karl and I went over to the Hilltop Pharmacy, and then, as it was raining, we took a taxi to Dot’s place.

Karl and John are so dumb! Karl, being of a mechanical turn of mind, insisted on fixing Billie French’s fine engine, and he fussed with it until I almost went crazy. Just like a man! He got this darned old bolts and strings and junk out in the middle of the floor and worked as if he were being paid for it!

They are dopey kids anyway. Want to pretend they are so fast, when they don’t know what the word means! The taxi didn’t get us home until 20 of 1, and you’d think it was 5 am the way Karl talked.

My principle reason for encouraging him is for the sake of Tillie Herrick. She is so impressed when Ed writes home that “the son of the president of a Paper Trust is rushing Evelyn”.

Karl and John are nice kids, though, and very thoughtful. Poor Karl worried about my coat and slippers and hat getting ruined far more than I did. But thoughtfulness isn’t the only thing! Entertainment is of some importance, as well.

Anyways, that night ended and today is here. It’s still raining, but what care I? Van called me up, isn’t mad anymore, and is coming up at 7:30 to take me to a show. The world is mine!

Now for someone to take me to the prom!

Meet Nina Grace McCarville

2005-02-07T22:05:00.000-05:00

Nina Grace McCarville was born this evening, about 7 PM, to Andre and Chistina McCarville. Baby and grandparents, as well as parents, are doing well.

She is a 7 pound 5 ounce charming little creature who, like her mother, could melt the coldest of hearts. I predict she will have a great future.

Pittsburgh IrishFest

2004-09-13T01:54:00.000-04:00

Went to Pittsburgh's IrishFest today. I liked it a lot better than in previous years, but then I never went to the cultural booths before. Dennis Doyle told stories of Irish Saints and songs and went into a good rendition of the cpyright wars of St. Colmcille. I just wanted a witness that I wasn't making this stuff up.

Evelyn McCarville's Diary - February 4, 1927

2004-08-31T20:20:00.000-04:00

This is such a punk day that I'm going to wait until tomorrow to tell the news. Maybe my brain will be back to normal again.

John and Annie McCarville

2004-08-30T20:41:00.000-04:00

We just got back* from a wonderful vacation in Milwaukee. Haydee and I and Julie, Andre and Christie, and Andre's friend Tony, got to spend some really good times with my nephew and niece, John and Annie McCarville. If you count a good vacation by the number of books you read, golf you play or beaches you swim at, this didn't count much. If you count a good vacation as a chance to change your pace entirely, reflect on life and let it change you, this was a great one. Thanks John and Annie. To see JohnnyMac's blog, click here.

*Actually we got back 10 days ago, but came home to a computer failure. Sean got us back on line, but by then I had forgot how to find my own blog. Julie found it for me. Now we are back in business.

Patron Saint of New Feminists - Buffy, the Vampire Slayer?

2004-08-05T20:54:00.000-04:00

Ales Rarus found this one:
Buffy, the Pope and New Feminisim.

Bubba Mac and the Recording Industry

2004-08-05T05:16:00.000-04:00

Bubba Mac provided a comment to my suggestion regarding St. Columcille as patron saint of bloggers. The comment was inadvertly deleted (sorry Bubba Mac) and therefore is republished here in its entire two lines.

At 8:55 PM, Bubba_mac said...
So we are on the same side as the record industry? You need to change that story so we come out against them.

Response: One shouldn't stray too far from the agreed upon facts, even in discussing ancient folklore or modern national intelligence briefings, but Bubba raises an interesting point. It is true that old king Dairmit McCarville did rule for the recording industry. I don't see how to get around that, but he also created much of the legend of St. Columcille. Now there are other reasons to think Dairmit was cool (and I hope to get to them), but I think he is cool for making Columcille as fameous as he is, or will become, as well. We just need to learn from our mistakes....

Patron Saint of Unattractive People

2004-08-05T04:19:00.000-04:00

Andre McCarvile writes:

Hey guys, I was reading Dad's blog and in it he asked if anyone knew if there was a patron saint of pirates. I went looking and didn't find any, but I found that unattractive people have two patron saints. As I read about this one, I noticed some interesting similarities between St. Germaine and a certain star of a popular book series.

Germaine, 15 June, is also known as Germana Cousin; Germaine of Pibrac; Germana Memorial.

She was the daughter of Laurent Cousin, a farm worker, and Marie Laroche. Her mother died while Germaine was an infant. A sickly child, she suffered from scrofula, and her right hand was deformed. Ignored by her father and abused by her step-family, she was often forced to sleep in the stable or in a cupboard under the stairs, was fed on scraps, beaten or scalded with hot water for misdeeds, real or imagined. At age nine Germaine was put to work as a shepherdess, where she spent much time praying, sometimes using a rosary she made from a knotted string. She refused to miss Mass, and if she heard the bell, she set her crook and her distaff in the ground, declared her flock to be under the care of her guardian angel, and went to church; her sheep were unharmed during her absences. It is reported that once she crossed the raging Courbet River by walking over the waters so she could get to church.

Germaine was so poor it is hard to imagine she would be able to help others, but she was always ready to help anyone, especially children whom she gathered in the fields to teach a simple catechism and share the little food she had. The locals laughed at her religious devotion and called her 'the little bigot'. Once in winter her stepmother, Hortense, accused her of stealing bread, and threatened to beat her with a stick. Germaine opened her apron, and summer flower stumbled out. Neighbors and her parents were awed and began to treat her as a holy person. Her parents invited her to rejoin the household, but Germaine chose to live as she had.

In 1601 she was found dead on her straw pallet under the stairs, and she was buried in the Church of Pibrac opposite the pulpit. When accidentally exhumed in 1644 during a renovation, her body was found incorrupt. In1793 the casket was desecrated by an anti-Catholic tinsmith named Toulza, who with three accomplices tookout the remains and buried them in the sacristy, throwing quick-lime and water on them. After theFrench Revolution, her body was found to be still intact save where the quick-lime had done its work.

Documents attest to more than 400 miracles or extraordinary graces through the intervention of Saint Germain. They include cures of every kind (of blindness, both congenital and resulting from disease, of hip and spinal disease), and the multiplication of food for the distressed community of the Good Shepherd at Bourges in 1845.

Patron Saint of Bloggers - St. Colmcille

2004-07-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

It is time to tell the story of the patron saint of the bloggers, St. Colmcille. He was first officially proclaimed the patron right here today, so you are reading history. His story, and I am not making this up, is an intersting one for our times.

In the 6th sectury, St. Colmcille (also spelled Colm Cille, Columba, Colm Cille, Cholm Cille or Columbkille), while a guest in the home of of St. Finian, secretly copied one of Finians favorite documents and smuggled it (the copy) out. The case went before the High King Diarmaid mac Cearrbheoil (modern spelling McCarville, no kidding) who ruled that the copy belonged to the original document and thus was Finian's. This is the first recorded case of a copyright infringement ruling. Now Colmcille ignored the ruling setting off wars between the O'Neils and the McCarville's with mutual curses of dying painful threefold deaths and all kinds of other interesting folklore.

Now this guy became the mortal enemy of old king McCarville, and (as a direct indirect descendent of the king) I will have more to say about this later, but I do think the guy should be the patron saint of bloggers, the internet, hackers, photcopiers, court reporters and anyone who downloads music, legally or otherwise.

I wonder, does anyone know if there is a patron saint of pirates?

Evelyn McCarville's 1927 Diary, February 2 and 3

2004-07-23T21:55:00.000-04:00

Feb 2 (1927)
Wed.

            Lovely weather we are having. At least we’d call it lovely because we aren’t freezing to death. There is a rather cool breeze blowing, and the ice is melting. The streets are full of sloppy water, and things look like they usually do after a January thaw – terrible. I can imagine a resident of California throwing up his hands in dispair and a Floridan dying of grief – but we call it “lovely weather”.
            Oh I’ve been so busy lately. Saturday and Sunday at the retreat. Honestly, with my severe S.J.A. idea of a retreat, this affair we had resembled a picnic more than anything else. Sunday morning at Drexel Lodge we laughed and talked and played. They didn’t expect us to do otherwise.
            Retreat ended Sunday afternoon with holy hour and the Papal Blessing. It was lovely. I love retreats any way, and he was a marvelous confessor.
            Sunday night Ruth and I had dates with Swede Gebhert and Ellsworth “Van” Van Slate. They took us to a show and then out to Frank Knuths Café. We met oodles of other Marquette kids. Lots of fun, ! Met Frances O’Boyle, the girl works at the Union. She knew Gebhart and I. Wherever she’d been before we saw her she’d had something to drink, and she begged us not to tell on her. In fact she said she’d break every bone in my body if T told, and she’d cash even bum checks for me if I didn’t. I felt sorry for her, but she surely was a funny sight.
            Monday night I stayed at French’s. They’ve been asking me to, and so I decided I’d better. They wanted me to stay all week, but gosh. I didn’t want to.
            Monday, we registered, too, and had to go thru that goofy old red tape again – tiresome but my schedule is not so worse except for hygiene class, which lasts until 6 on Wednesday. Here is my schedule.

                        Monday            Tuesday            Wednesday            Thursday         Friday
History 9                                              9                                              9
“ Quiz                                                                                       10
Religion                                    10
Journalism            10                                            10                                            10
P. Speaking                              11
Sociology            11                                            11                                            11
French             1                      1                      1                      1
Gym                                         9                                              9
Hygiene                                                            4:30
Swimming                                                                                                         2

Not really bad in some respects – especially no 8 o’clocks
            Tuesday night I stayed at Dorothy’s again, and she and I had dates with “Mike” and “Manny”. They took us the Strand, and the Majestic (Sweet Shop) and riding. We had a wonderful time, even if we didn’t get in until 2. I like Mike, but I’m too slow for him. But he says he likes me, any way and he surely is one cute boy. He goes to Normal.
            I’m going to bed now. Will finish later. Dead tired. More of this anon.

Feb. 3
Thursday
Somebody called me up last night at 8:30 and I wasn’t here. Gosh, I wonder who it was.
Mama None (ed: pronounced like bone) wrote me a 4 page letter today and I almost fell over in a dead faint. She usually writes notes instead of letters. It was all of the latest gossip from Tillie Herrick, and oh boy! All Tillie didn’t talk about. Mama None happened to mention that Father Daniky told me I had the inferiority complex and T. went and got a pencil, asked her what it meant and how to spell it, and wrote it down. Why, I can’t imagine.
I was talking to Slaby and Sheehan today, and Sheehan asked me to fo the the Notre Dame game with him Friday. He also asked me if I were going to the Prom, and when I sadly replied “No” he seemed surprised. He’s homely, but I’d even go with him.
I don’t know what I going to do about that 4:30 class. Just happened to think about it.
Ruth and I are going down town in a few minutes. I have the funniest feeling as if someone were going to call, so were going to give them until 8:30. Its 8:04 now. Guess I’ll sign off for a while.

NOTE (NOT PART OF DIARY): AS YOU MAY KNOW FROM AN EARLIER BLOG, EVELYN'S GRANDAUGHTER JULIANNE HAS BEEN TRANSCRIBING THESE DIARY PAGES FOR THE BLOG. WELL SHE HAS NOT MADE ANY RECENT PAGES FOR ME TO ENTER HERE, SO IF YOU WISH TO SEE MORE OF THESE, PLEASE LET HER KNOW BY ENTERING THE COMMENT BOX.

Back from the Beach

2004-07-21T22:39:00.000-04:00

We had a great time at the beach. More eating and drinking than beaching, but a lot of fun. We did go to see "Outfoxed" at the home of some perfect strangers who took us in with southern hospitality. Met a former Pitt professor and his social worker wife who moved down there 13 years ago. It was more like meeting old friends.

If you hate the Fox Network, don't miss "Outfoxed".

Watching "Outfoxed" at the Beach

2004-07-16T22:44:00.000-04:00

Haydee and I are off to the beaches of North Carolina for a long weekend. I figured that I would have to miss the release of "Outfoxed" on Sunday night. I certainly didn't think there would be anyone there to see it with, since we won't know a soul. Then, thanks to MoveOn.org it all changed.

In a commentary about society's new social patterns, we were invited via, the internet, to visit with "our new neighbors" for a viewing of "Outfoxed" on Sunday night. All I had to do is enter my zip code. So I entered the zip code where I'll be staying. Now we are invited to a great party and hope to meet interesting people. I don't even know anyone in Pittsburgh who is going to watch the show, but thanks to www.MoveOn.org I may have a whole set of new political soulmates in North Carolina.

On the other hand, maybe this is going to be what it must be like to try to find a date on the internet?? Stay tuned.

Thomas J. McCarville

2004-07-11T14:44:00.000-04:00

It has been four months since my brother TJ passed away. Inbetween the stages of initial shock and the final realization of loss, there is a middle stage of joy. I hope this comes across ok, but it is the joy in the slow realization of how complex and good a character he was. The realization comes from all of the stories friends and relatives told about a TJ. While all of the stories rung true, because I knew he was that way to me, I never knew how deeply he impacted so many. It kind of magnifies the vision and understanding of him that I had in so many wonderful ways and it makes sense of old Irish song, slightly modified, to say "Tommy we hardly knew you".

Evelyn McCarville's 1927 Diary, January 28, 1927

2004-07-11T14:43:00.000-04:00

JAN 28
Friday

I had almost given up myself today. Retreat started this morning, and continued until 3:30, but all day long I’ve been wandering in a haze, my thoughts everywhere but where they should be, my mind anything but religious. Of course, working this afternoon kind of got me out of the spirit. But tonight I went to the library and got a book on the Little Flower, and now I feel much better. Its just wonderful how even the very merest mention of her name is so inspiring. I don’t feel so horrible and mean now, and impious. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get back some of my lost piety.

Happy July 3rd of 1754

2004-07-03T21:55:00.001-04:00

Today is the 250th anniversay of what might be the most important military battle on American soil. On July 3, 1754, the French and Indians "whupped" British Colonel George Washington as he was retreating from Fort Dusquesne, now Pittsburgh. So, Julie and I packed the patriotic cooler with Coors Light and headed out to Fort Necessity for a re-enactment of sorts.

Both the British and the French were racing to present-day Pittsburgh because they knew that whoever controlled the Head of the Ohio River (Pittsburgh) controlled the interior of a whole continent. (The Ohio is the only river in the Western hemisphere that flows away from where the people lived on the coast, downriver into the interior and that the steamboat, and two-way, travel wouldn't be practical for another 100 years.) Well, Washington was disappointed to find that the French got there first, and, well, killed the French Ensign de Jumonville in a "disagreement" about each others intentions, a kind of pre-emptive strike according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. But one the Frenchmen escaped and reported the British presence to the rest of the French. The British soon found themselves outnumbered where the holed up at Fort Necessity.

It is not just that the French and Indians beat the British by the then "ungentlemanly war crime" of shooting from behind the trees (the British fired from formation out in the open meadow), but also that the British high command had little interest in hearing about the "Colonial Colonel's" report about the battle mistakes of the British.

Washington, however, remembered the lessons of his defeat and put them to very good use 23 years and one day later when he accepted command of the colonial army and joined in in declaring the colonies independence from Britain on July 4, 1776.

Evelyn McCarville's 1927 Diary, January 12, 13, 14, 18 and 25, 1927

2004-07-03T21:55:00.000-04:00

JAN. 12
Wednesday

My short story for Journalism is driving me to drink. It just seems to thwart me, every move I make, My characters are all so stubborn, and even my ideas have formed a union against me. I did so want to make the Journal, but heaven only knows if I will! I’m going to work on the crazy old thing tonight.
Here’s a poem out of R.H.L.’s 1926 Linebook that I’m simply crazy about. I’m going to write a story on it some day:
“I’ll go to Camelot. I’ll go to Crete.
You’ll live forever on this small street.
I’ll wear silken robes…gay colors spilled.
You’ll wear the palest things… soft things frilled.
I’ll know many men, strange men and wild,
You’ll know but one man and bear his child.
You will bring peacefulness… bake little tarts,
I’ll bring inquietude. Strange things – hearts!”
I think it is lovely, and oh it expressed my views exactly. Flay and I used to differ so, and now she’s engaged and on the road to her ambition. Mine? I wonder. “Strange things – hearts!”

JAN 13
Thurs.

I’m so tired tonight that I’m going to bed right away. I had to work until about since, and after eating supper at Julia Fischers I came home and have been studying. I’m simply a wreck. My Public Speaking outline is due tomorrow, my Religion thesis, and my Journalism short story. I’m just dead, so heres to bed. It’s 5 after eleven.

JAN 14
Fri.

The funniest thing happened tonight. Ruth and I and Vivian and Antoinette were at the Marquette high school to hear the Leland Stanford debate. After it was over, and we were going to catch the car, four fellows were waiting for us, “Mike” and Emanuel, and two unknowns. The 2 unk. Fellows grabbed us by the arm, and dashed us to a street car, leaving M. and E. in the soup. When they got us to the car they had to sit further up in the front. At 12th St. they got off. Now would you call yourself jilted or not? We’re completely flabbergasted.

JAN 18
Tues.

I haven’t had much time lately on account of that crazy old Ecco. Manufacturing Co. Mr. French has the idea that we should deem it a privilege to be able to work after our regular time. Tonight I quit at 6:20 which was early.
I’ve been awfully busy, anyway. I worked all day Saturday and Saturday night we went to the Marquette Creighton game. Sunday Ruth and I went to 2 masses, and Sunday afternoon I spent in the library, and in watching them take a dead person out of the house across the street – that creepy looking house, behind the deaconess home. Sunday night Ruth and I went to a movie, and some boy called while I was gone. Darn!
Monday night I went to “Cyrano de Bergerac” by Edivin Abner Thompson ath the Marquette High School auditorium. It was wonderful.
I am simply scared stiff about exams. We had religion today, which was not so worse, but I don’t think I wrote an “A”. French? Terrible! History: fierce! Sociology _____? _____!
I simply cannot study tonight, and neither can Ruth. We started in about 7:30, but she was hungry so we both went down to Julia Fischers. On the way home we got a paper, and of course we both had to read that. Then she had to take a bath, and I had top write in here! It’s exactly 9:30 and we haven’t started yet! What’s more I’m not in the mood for it at all.
I’m so mad. This Mathieson kid in our Journalism class (he’s going to Madison next semester) well anyway I met him downtown tonight, and he said (after hello) “how are you?” and I didn’t hear and went on! I’ve been crazy to have a date with him all semester, and I just know he meant business tonight. It just makes me sick.
I’m afraid to face Father Daniky tomorrow in Journalism class. That short story I handed in was so rotten.

JAN 25
Tues.

Oh boy, believe me, if I didn’t play the lady of fashion stunt today! Arose about ten, took a bath, read, wrote, then dressed. By that time it was one o’clock so I went downtown, and then to work. Time, so much free time didn’t see possible, and I’m going to do the same thing tomorrow.
The reason I haven’t written in you (Diary dear – as they say) is because I’ve been so rushed to pieces, I didn’t know what I was doing half the time.
Since last Tuesday lots of things have happened. Wednesday we studied a little, but we didn’t over-do it. Thurs. I had Sociology exam, and I guess I got through, altho’ I surely had to copy. I’ve felt like a dog since, but I simply had to. Friday we had History and French. After French, Ruth went to Kenosha, and after work I went to Frenchs’ for supper, and stayed all night. (By the way, I read “gentlemen Prefer Blondes” while there) Saturday morning I went to work of course. Saturday night I went to the Michigan State game and stayed all night with Gutsche and Dona, thy Chlebawski. Sunday I went to church, and also had a marvelous chicken dinner at Drew’s Sunday night – the Alhambra. Monday, English exam, work, and read “The Girl of the Golden West”.
Tuesday – here I am. Oh, I forgot, Thursday night Vivian G. Webb Taylor, ? Van Slate and I all went to the show, and afterwards to the Oneida Bridge Restaurant. Had a dandy time, [shorthand I can’t read] !
So much for the events of last week. I really believe I did pretty well in them, but you never can tell. I thought so in the mid-semester too, and got fooled. None were as bad as I expected tho’ even Sociology. I gave Dr. Derry a line after class, and as he likes to be fed lines by girls, I hope mine helped.
I was invited down to Kenosha by Ruth’s sister over the weekend, and was invited by Elizabeth Clark to her home in Green Bay. Had to turn ‘em both down, darn it!
Tomorrow I am going to spend writing letters – I’m going to write to every single one of my correspondents to whom I owe letters – just see if I don’t!

More on the McCarville Family Tree

2004-06-29T21:56:00.000-04:00

James W. McCarville says that his book on the McCarville Family tree is sold out and he has no intention of doing it again. There is good news, however. He has it all on CD and will send anyone a copy for just $20. It can be run with Family Tree Maker software v.11. I'll let you know how it works when I get it.

Corinne and Alice McCarville and Our Irish Roots

2004-06-27T21:51:00.000-04:00

Thanks to cousin Corinne McCarville Lester, who wrote a nifty little book on the subject, "My Irish Roots", I can trace my McCarville roots back to John McCarval on one side and to Michael and Mary Lynch in the City of Monaghan and to John Logue and Isabelle Logue of Derry on the other side.

Well, you will hear more about my Irish roots later, but I wanted to say that Corinne reports that Alice McCarville, my aunt, or my father's brother Bill's wife, just celebrated her 100th birthday. She is living in a nursing home near Rhinelander and very alert. I have to admit that I lost track of them long ago, but we had a great conversation and caught up on so much.

What I didn't know (I was younger than Corinne) was that she played college basketball long before women's sports became popular, and scored fifty points one night for UW-Oshkosh.

I also understand from Harold McCarville, that Jim W. McCarville, not me, published a detailed family tree that has all of our branch in it. He had a CD on the entire McCarville family tree that I am trying to find out if he has any copies left.

Life's Ambition

2004-06-27T21:40:00.000-04:00

Maybe it is not "climbing Mt. Everest" but it does come close to a life's ambition. I always wanted to be cited as a source for something on NPR. It could be for anything, and hopefully it wouldn't be so controversial that everyone would think I am nuts. Well, now the whole world can hear (at ) that I think the entire national economy depends upon our locks and dams in Pittsburgh and what we do with them. Fortunately it only aired in the 5:50/6:50 AM time slot.

Do I still have to go to work Monday?

Evelyn McCarville's Diary January 10, 1927

2004-06-21T21:47:00.000-04:00

Below see Julianne McCarville's Transcription of Evelyn Exceen McCarville's Diary from:

1927
JAN 10
Tuesday

Isn’t this a ducky book for a diary? I just got it a few minutes ago down at Behan’s “Marquette Shop” and that’s why I’m starting it on the 10th instead of the first. That’s one reason why I didn’t get a regular diary; I’ve decided this year to keep a record not as much of what I do as what I think and feel. In my other diaries there would often be several blank pages at a time because I would forget to write, so the old order changeth; hail to the new era!
I’m going to give a little summary of what’s been going on these last ten days tho’ because I may need to look up something sometime, and I want a record, so here goes.
As 1927 sneaked in I was in the Square Theater, in the fair city of Ottumwa, Iowa, with Bernard Clabby, and we didn’t get out of the show until about 1:30.
I stayed at home, except when I went to church, and in the afternoon I went to the K.C. open house. I had such a good time that a whole bunch of is kids stayed until after the evening program.
When that was over Clabby + I, Bernice and John Fagan went to a show. John is a great old traveling salesman, and thinks he’s a great hit with the flappers. He is nice. He told me that when he left Ottumwa six years ago, I was a little kid running around, holding my father’s hand.
The next two days I spent getting ready to come back to Milwaukee, and I left the night of the 3rd. Gee, I caught a terrible cold in the sleeper. I have it yet, too.
As soon as I got off the train Tuesday I dashed up to class, and have been dashing ever since. I never saw such a week or hurry and bustle and excitement.
Nothing much has happened since except that I’m studying like a Trojan. Exams come next week. I went to a movie one afternoon (Friday, I think) with Bob Slaby, and I stayed out at Dorothy Talfond’s (Frenches’ on 49th St.) Sunday night, while Ruth had a date with a sheik from her home town.
On the way to school Mon. morning (Mr. French brought us)he offered me a part time job as a stenog at the Ecco. Mfg. Co. of which he is gen. Mgr. I worked Monday and today from about 3 to 6:30. It’s fun, but he doesn’t seem to realize that you might want to quit at 5:30 the regular time.
We had a terrible time deciding whether to go to a show tonight or not, and Ruth and I cussed and discussed the matter so long that it was too late to go to a show, so we stayed home.

Welcome to "The Life and Times..."

2004-06-20T22:33:00.000-04:00

June 20, 2004 Father's Day

This is my first blog posting on "The Life and Times...". I have big plans for the site, but let's see where this goes. Inspired by the Johnny Mack's blog , and the diaries of Evelyn McCarville of which you will hear more later, I hope to make this part of the McCarville family record - at least our branch - for the past, present and future.

It was a great Father's Day today. Sean, Julie, Andre, Christy and Haydee got me a gas grill, it says Weber, but it looks like a Nimbus 2004.

Speaking of the future, Andre and Christy have just informed us of the big news of the day that - in December or January - we are going to be Grandparents for the first time!