One Great Salesman
Christopher Columbus had perseverance, and he was stubborn. He was not the first to conceive of reaching the East from the West, nor was he the only one to believe the Earth was round ... most people of his day did. He was not the first to conceive of a plan to exploit opportunities, but he was the first to persevere until he found backing for it.
Chris Columbus was a salesman. He was convinced that Asia was much closer to the West than it was, differing greatly from geographers of the time. If there had been no land between Europe and Asia, Columbus and his crew would have died. It was his error that inspired him to proceed with his plan.
He convinced Ferdinand and Isabella to back him initially and to continue to back him, selling the idea of developing the New World. And he was also able to convince many ordinary men (not fleeing criminals) to sail with him, Columbus was like all people, with strengths and weak- nesses. His stubborn and persistent belief in his plan (his product) and his strong interpersonal skills with the Spanish Court and capable sailors made it possible for multiple journeys to the New World. And this positioned him as the best salesman and explorer of his time.
 Friday Funnies
A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply:
Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin.
The lawyer responded as follows:
Your letter regarding title in Case No. 189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 194 years covered by the present application.
I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working with real property titles, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our Abstract of Title. For your edification, I should explain that title to the land in question was by the United States by purchase from France, which had acquired it by right of conquest from Spain. Title to the land had come to Spain by right of discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christo- pher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the then reigning monarch of Spain, Queen Isabella. The good queen, being a pious woman and careful about titles, had taken the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to fund Columbus' expedition. The Pope is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And God created Louisiana. Now, may we please have our loan?
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