My maternal grandfather, Peter (Petar) babarovich died the year I was born – 1935. I was born on February 21st, 1935, and he died a month later on March 5th of that year. As a result, I never knew this unique man. Nonno babarovich was born on April 12, 1861, in the village of Splitska on the island of Brac in Croatia off the coast of Split, Yugoslavia in the Adriatic Sea. Peter was the second child of his father,…
Civility once served as the glue of a democratic society. Disagreement was often passionate, but it was restrained by the belief that all opponents were not enemies. Today, that restraint has become increasingly absent, both in politics and in daily life by the example and conduct of Donald Trump. President Trump has made insult-driven rhetoric acceptable by a frequent use of mocking nicknames and personal attacks toward opponents, journalists, judges, and even former allies. At the same time, he has…
Diogenes, a Greek philosopher (4th century), was said to have walked through Athens, in broad daylight, carrying a lit lantern, claiming he was “looking for an honest man.” It’s clear he would have found few to meet his standard of truth and honesty. Politics has always had its share of not speaking the full truth. What feels newer, and far more corrosive, is the growing comfort some politicians now have with simply abandoning the facts altogether, particularly when courts or public…
On January 24, 2002, William “Bill” Taylor died in Anacortes. He was one of Anacortes’s most successful basketball coaches in the history of the school. As a coach & teacher, he was also a positive influence in so many students’ lives, including mine. He was a great coach and mentor to me. I’ve published a full account of my high school relationship with this great coach and his profound influence in my life: https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/01/william-taylor.html . In addition, I published a background…
My sister Phyllis died on January 7, 2013. She was the oldest of the three children, leaving Anita Mayer and me surviving. Phylllis was born to Paul and Mary Luvera in Anacortes on January 29, 1928. She graduated from Anacortes High School in 1946 with honors and attended the University of Washington, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English in 1950. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority. In 1953, she earned the State of…
Lita’s mother and my paternal grandmother died on the same day, December 20th, but thirty nine years apart. Lita’s mother, Elizabeth Catherine Barnett was an extraordinary woman. Very bright, wise and gifted in so many ways. I’ve written about this remarkable woman many times. See https://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/12/my-mother-in-law-elizabeth-barnett-1910-1995.html It was my privilege to have known her. She was very intelligent, wise and a great judge of people. I loved her like my own mother for her many qualities and her understanding. This…
With the possible exception of the New Testament, no works written in Greek are better known than Aesop’s Fables. For at least 2500 years, they have been teaching people of all ages and every social status lessons on how to choose correct actions and the likely consequences of choosing incorrect actions. Aesop wrote a fable about vanity leading to self-destruction in his tale about a raven and a swan: “A Raven, which you know is black as coal, was envious of…
Medical articles and the internet discuss the “stages” of aging. However, they are in reality learning to endure the unwanted consequences of growing old. The older we get, the more consequences there are. John Mortimer, the creator of “Rumpole,” died at age 85. He wrote about the indignities of dying: “Dying is a matter of slapstick and pratfalls. The aging process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over, and runs off laughing. No one should grow…
My father Paul Nicholas Luvera Sr. was born on March 25, 1898, and died in Anacortes, Washington, on November 4, 1990, at the age of 92. I delayed publishing this because of the timing of this year’s presidential election. You can see more details of his extraordinary life athttps://paulluverajournalonline.com/weblog/2013/11/dad-1.html for a complete history of his life. Dad was born in Reggio Calabria, Italy, the son of Niccola and Fillippa Luvera. His father and oldest brother left for Canada, where they…
The U.S. Treasury has announced that it is providing Argentina with a $20 billion currency swap, essentially an emergency credit line that constitutes a large-scale rescue of a failing economy. The US Treasury, led by Secretary Scott Bessent, has defended the $20 billion currency swap as a legal and strategic move to stabilize Argentina’s economy, which is seen as “of systemic importance” to US interests. Bessent is a close Ally of Russell Vought, head of the White House Office of…
