[Marxism] [CubaNews] Fidel Castro - The Chinese Victory

[Ruthless Critic of All that Exists]

On Sat, Apr 5, 2008 at 3:18 PM, Shane Mage <shmage at pipeline.com> wrote:
>
>  On Apr 5, 2008, at 1:48 PM, Walter Lippmann wrote:
>
>  > Reflections by Comrade Fidel - March 2008
>  > THE CHINESE VICTORY
>  >
>  > Without some basic historical knowledge, the subject I am dealing
>  > with would
>  > not be understood.
>  >
>  > ...Columbus, an intelligent and intrepid sailor, was aware of the
>  > Greeks' knowledge about the roundness of the Earth. His own
>  > observations led him to coincide with
>  > those theories. He came up with the plan of reaching the Far East
>  > sailing
>  > westward from Europe. But, he calculated the distance with far too
>  > much
>  > optimism, for it was several times greater...
>
>  One should not claim "basic historical knowledge" when one is
>  basically ignorant.  The "roundness of the Earth" was not a "Greek
>  theory"--it was a well known fact, known to every educated person and,
>  of course, to every seafarer educated or not

But Fidel did not say "Greek theory".  He writes (see above) about
'the Greeks' knowledge about the roundness", which is basically what
you write above.

> The "Indies" bit was nothing but a cover story to
> hide Spanish plans from their Portuguese rivals.

If the Spanish knew it, why didn't the Portuguese know about it as
well? Just curious.