Paul Luvera Journal

I’ve finished Michael Streissguth’s book Eddy Arnold on this trip and enjoyed reading about the great country western singer. He started out on the Grande Ole Opry and evolved into a more contemporary singer. He remained a very decent human being and a devoted husband his whole life. He sang and performed with all the great country western entertainers of that time. I was reminded in this book of the Oprey’s Minne Pearl screeching: “How-Dee! I’m just glad to be…

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In 1960 the black and white film Never on Sunday was issued staring Melina Mercouri as a Greek prostitute who refused to work on Sunday. She later married the director who was blacklisted during the McCarthy era. The daughter of the mayor of Athens, she was expelled from Greece during the period of the Greek military junta. Later she was elected to Parliament and became cultural minister of Greece during the 1980’s. She died in 1994. So, why am I…

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Yesterday, we did nothing. We didn’t leave except for lunch. We used the hot tub and dip pool, read and did little else. Great weather. Not hot and not humid. The ocean sounds are wonderful. The waves pound in less then 50 yards away, hitting the rocks and sending spray flying into the air.  Pelicans swoop low to the water looking for a meal and drop like a stone when they see one. They appear to be successful.  I  think of that rhyme…

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The Shrine of Remembrance is located in Melbourne, Australia. It is one of the largest war memorials in Australia and was originally built as a memorial to the men and women of Victoria who served in World War I (1914 – 1918). Erected between 1928 and 1934 it was constructed during a time of great unemployment and financial crisis in Australia. 300,000 people were present during the opening of the memorial. This huge granite structure is on top of a…

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Last Saturday night my wife Lita and I attended the Tacoma Symphony fund raising auction at the convention center in Tacoma. One of the items available was a musical visit to the Wurlitzer Manor and Gardens in Gig Harbor (http://www.wurlitzermanor.com/) We live in Gig Harbor and some how I had never heard of this place or a Wurlitzer organ in our area, so I looked it up on the Internet. I found an article in the Puget Sound Online Pipeline…

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In his book Catholicism at the CrossroadsPaul Lakeland examines the Catholic Church of 2008. Lakeland teaches at Fairfield University and holds the Aloysius P. Kelly S.J. Chair in Catholic Studies there. He has written previous books on the subject, one of which won first place for theology in the Catholic Press Association’s 2005 awards. Here are a few of he points he makes in this well thought out and reasonable book. In his list of some ten steps toward a…

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