Moses

Moses might not have parted the Red Sea, but a strong east wind that blew through the night could have pushed the waters back in the way described in biblical writings and the Koran, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. Computer simulations, part of a larger study on how winds affect water, show wind could push water back at a point where a river bent to merge with a coastal lagoon, the team at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado at Boulder said.

Re "New legal battle over Ten Commandments," May 11 Instead of recycling these heavy-handed Ten Commandments, Jesus, as Moses' successor, in his own Sermon on the Mount gave eight new hallmarks of Christian holiness, urging justice, mercy, purity of heart, humility, peacemaking and uprightness. Later he commanded followers to love their enemies and do unto others what they would have done to them. Why are these never chiseled into stone displays for all to emulate? Robert Brophy Los Alamitos ALSO: Letters: Men, women and history Letters: Medical billing done wrong Letters: Jerry Brown, pragmatic in a crisis

After five years of restoration, Michelangelo's nearly 500-year-old sculpture of Moses is looking as good as new. Restorers in Rome have been quietly working away on the majestic sculpture of a seated Moses since 1998, careful to steer clear of a heated debate over the best way to clean the sculptor's monumental "David" nude in Florence. They have now finished and an opening ceremony is scheduled for January.

Los Angeles art lion Ed Moses threw himself an 85th birthday dinner last year that inspired guest and Bergamot Station gallery owner William Turner to organize an exhibition of work by some of Moses' multi-generational group of artist friends who attended, "to take a snapshot of these relationships at a moment in time," Turner says. "Ed's Party: Spheres of Influence in the L.A. Art Scene" runs through April 16 at the William Turner Gallery, where Moses spoke recently. Tell me about the birthday party that inspired the show.

"Moses, Prince of Egypt," an original musical comedy to be performed by 26 children ages 5 to 13, will be presented at Congregation Shir Ha-Ma'alot at 7 p.m. tonight and at 1 p.m. Sunday. Written by Barry Koff, the congregation's director of education, and directed by Jay Doige, the one-hour play takes a lighthearted look at the life of Moses from birth until he received the Ten Commandments, Koff said.

Re "New legal battle over Ten Commandments," May 11 Instead of recycling these heavy-handed Ten Commandments, Jesus, as Moses' successor, in his own Sermon on the Mount gave eight new hallmarks of Christian holiness, urging justice, mercy, purity of heart, humility, peacemaking and uprightness. Later he commanded followers to love their enemies and do unto others what they would have done to them. Why are these never chiseled into stone displays for all to emulate? Robert Brophy Los Alamitos ALSO: Letters: Men, women and history Letters: Medical billing done wrong Letters: Jerry Brown, pragmatic in a crisis

Now that Charlton Heston is on the NRA's board of directors, it may be more difficult for gun control advocates to sell their message. After all, how do you successfully demonize Moses? BRUCE ROLAND Ojai

From the TV Times article (Dec. 20) about Charlton Heston's new series on the Bible ("Charlton Heston Presents The Bible," A&E), I learned that Heston will not only portray Moses again, but other biblical figures, including Adam and Eve. Parting the Red Sea was a cinch for Heston as Moses ("The Ten Commandments"). But playing Adam and Eve? I can hardly wait. Collette North, Los Angeles

An administrative hearing on alleged Municipal Code violations at Mayor Eugene F. Moses' Canyon City Ghost Town on San Gabriel Canyon Road has been set for June 15. The city last week began public-nuisance proceedings against Moses over a 2.5-acre Western theme park that he began building, but never completed, at the mouth of the San Gabriel Canyon in the 1970s. The mayor may have to raze all of the Old West-like cabins, shacks and stables on the property to comply with the code.

Charlton Heston says he brought back his service .45 from World War II. That was--and is--government property. Oh well, Moses, nine out of 10 Commandments ain't bad. JIM CHILTON Woodland Hills

Did you know that in heaven, there is a river of craft beer flowing through the celestial clouds, a coriander-spiced Belgian blond, to be exact? There are also several founts of crisply bitter IPA, positioned at clouds No. 48, 97 and 133, for quenching your thirst after clearing the pearly gates. OK, so none of us know for certain if any of this is true, but it's what Greg Koch, chief executive and co-founder of Stone Brewing Co., envisions when he brandishes his megaphone at various beer festivals and sermonizes about the ambrosia known as craft beer.

Frederick Chiluba, Zambia's first democratically elected president, who became increasingly autocratic during his decade in office, died Saturday at his home in Lusaka, Zambia. He was 68. The cause of death was not immediately clear. Chiluba, president from November 1991 to January 2002, had chronic heart problems and had been hospitalized in the past. The son of a copper miner and former trade union leader, Chiluba was born April 30, 1943, in Kitwe, Zambia. He took office after 27 years of one-party rule by Kenneth Kaunda.

Last weekend, we left the city behind and drove about an hour south to my mother-in-law's kibbutz to see the rolling fields of ripening wheat ready to be harvested just before the Shavuot holiday, exactly like it was in ancient times. Shavuot, starting this year at sundown Tuesday, is a festival with three names: Shavuot, which means "the feast of weeks"; Hag HaKatzir, or "harvest holiday"; and Hag HaBikkurim, meaning "the holiday of first fruits," when the tribes of Israel were obligated to bring their fresh wheat, barley and certain fruits to the Great Temple in Jerusalem.

What if many Lakers fans got their wish, and Andrew Bynum had been traded? Maybe Kobe Bryant's parking-lot tirade a few years ago was acted upon by the Lakers' front office, and Bynum was shipped out for Jason Kidd. Or maybe last month's rumors involving Bynum and the Denver Nuggets actually had some validity to them. Every Lakers player can't stop gushing about Bynum, who again swatted away a mess of shots, took a mountain of rebounds and drove the Lakers to a 101-87 victory Tuesday over the Atlanta Hawks at Philips Arena.

"One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that 'an unjust law is no law at all.'" The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. "Letter From a Birmingham Jail" April 16, 1963 St. Augustine is not only the patron saint of theologians such as the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., but also the namesake of the oldest city in the U.S. And in 1964, as St. Augustine prepared to celebrate its 400th anniversary, the famed civil rights leader came here to denounce racial segregation.

Running back Johnathan Franklin , UCLA's first 1,000-yard rusher since 2006, was noticeably absent in the second half of a 28-14 loss to USC on Saturday. He had only one carry in the second half, after scorching USC on a 59-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. But no one was going to use the "B" word. Franklin fumbled late in the second quarter, which was returned for a touchdown. But ? "I don't think he was benched at all," Coach Rick Neuheisel said.

I was appalled by the statement questioning the existence of Rama. I am sure that no notarized birth certificate exists for Rama, any more than for Moses, Christ or Mohammed, but then the beliefs and faith of millions of followers must be respected and not ridiculed. R. JINDAL Porterville

I am not ordinarily given to superlatives, but your cover story on Betty Friedan was superb. Thank you for giving your readers a uniquely candid view of "the female Moses" who continues to lead women out of the wilderness. Abigail Van Buren Chicago

Moses might not have parted the Red Sea, but a strong east wind that blew through the night could have pushed the waters back in the way described in biblical writings and the Koran, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. Computer simulations, part of a larger study on how winds affect water, show wind could push water back at a point where a river bent to merge with a coastal lagoon, the team at the National Center for Atmospheric Research and the University of Colorado at Boulder said.

More than 40 years ago, a 19-year-old girl left her small ranch home in Cosala, Mexico, for a low-paying job as a housekeeper's assistant in Beverly Hills. "I was afraid and nervous, but I wanted a better life," Ines Campos Mora said. On Saturday night, capping a weeklong Los Angeles celebration of Mexico's independence bicentennial, her son, Sergio Mora, will be introduced amid mariachi music and cheers to fight former world champion Shane Mosley in the main event of a boxing card at Staples Center.