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THE REVERSE LAYAWAY PLAN AND OTHER INDIGNITIES
As I was showering this afternoon, some bizarre thoughts entered my mind. It is fairly clear to me now that as we advance into old age, a role reversal becomes more apparent. Let us take the example of major league baseball players who are performing at a plateau of considerable excellence. When that excellence begins…
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SO ENDETH THE LONG NIGHT
As you know, baseball is played largely in the summertime. The greediness of the owners has extended the baseball season until November arrives. I deplore all of that. But to get to the point of this monumental essay, it has been the better part of four or five months since a Major League Baseball game…
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A POLYGAMY OF ESSAYETTES
I am well aware of the fact that the three essayettes to follow may be called a trio of essayettes. But I have elected not to do that. I have elected to call them a polygamy of essayettes. There is nothing wrong with trio or, if there is a fourth essay, calling it a…
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…LOVE HER, LOVE HER, LOVE HER
The title of this essay comes from a song in the stage production of Camelot. It opened on Broadway in December, 1960. That means that the production of the Broadway play is now 50 years old. When I hear the songs from that show, in particular as performed by Samuel Ramey, it brings back memories…
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TIM TEBOW’S TRAVAILS
I hope and pray that you will recall an essay in the last mailing having to do with a professional quarterback who contends that he is a virgin. I have nothing against professional football players, particularly quarterbacks, who contend that their virginity is intact. But taking one thing with another and with the state of…
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MILITARY SPEAK
Those of you who have followed Ezra’s Essays know of my interest in language. For example, on several occasions I have pointed out that my parents spoke “country speak.” When I go to the physician’s office, he speaks “doctor speak.” That will give you an idea of what is in store in the following essay.…
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BLACK SPEAK
There are a few languages that I am conversant with. One is country speak which has an essay or more dedicated to it. The other is black speak. Black speak is the language used by those who trace their ancestry to Africa. I am conversant with both of these mutations of the English language but…
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GOING VIRAL
My ancient and good friend, Sven Lernevall, is an astute observer of the English language. You may recall that it was Sven who offered the opinion that the English language is “a rich language.” From time to time, I have tried to keep up with the changes in the language as I continue to marvel…
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ESCORTS VS. PLAIN OLD PROSTITUTION (POP)
I do not intend to claim great expertise in the field of escorts or in the field of plain old prostitution. What brings all of this to mind is an incident earlier in April of this year wherein some Secret Service agents had a soiree in Cartagena, Colombia and then invited the women to their…
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IN PRAISE OF…
According to my notepad, I had wanted to dictate an essay entitled “In Praise of Running Water and Flushing Toilets.” Further down on my notepad, I discovered an entry called “In Praise of the Forgettery.” These are different subjects but because I make the rules around here, it seemed to me that the two of…