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RED (OR BLUE) BANDANNAS
Those of you who were raised in the precincts of America’s great cities may well have missed out on an article of men’s wear that is usually associated with hard work and/or country ways. Again, if I may use my father as an example, I would like to cite one article of his clothing that…
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PREACHERS
The basic question that this essay proposes is “Where are the preachers now that you need them?” According to news accounts, we are now into the seventy-seventh day of the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Pious pilgrims, such as myself, have searched for answers. We have made inquiries along ecclesiastical lines but…
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PLEASE, GIVE ME A VOTE
I suspect that everyone who has attained the Methuselah-like age of 80 may well have given thought to his or her own departure. I don’t dwell on that subject but I am quite aware that it exists. Again, I suspect that the dying part is not the major consideration. It is the preliminaries of extended…
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REFUDIATE
The Duchess of Alaska, Sarah Palin, had a pronouncement over the past weekend. On two occasions, which were recorded in newscasts, Sarah used the word “refudiate.” When she was asked to explain what “refudiate” meant, she said that William Shakespeare made up new words at various times in his career. Those of us in the…
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POSOLE
I am writing this essay in the hopes that it will prove to Tom Scandlyn, Howard Davis and Jim Reese that this old country boy’s tastes have gone to new heights. As a public service, I will try to save you a trip to your dictionary because the word “posole” is another upscale word for…
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PATTING ONE’S BACKS
From time to time there comes a moment when we can make someone else’s life a little bit more enjoyable. Two Costa Rican immigrants have made several appearances in these essays. They are Jenny M and Ronald H. They are married, but in conformance with Costa Rican custom, Jenny retains her maiden name.There are three…
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PLAISIR D’AMOUR
Today is a cold winter’s Sunday which happens also to be Valentine’s Day. On occasions such as this, men and women declare their love for each other and, if things work out, the course may be set for their eventual marriage. Of course, this could be men and men or women and women. In my…
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GRUBER’S LAW
I suspect that by this time every American must have an idea of the enormity of the oil spill that is taking place in the Gulf of Mexico. The spill is of such proportions that we should consider it before long a cataclysmic event. All of which brings me to “Gruber’s Law” that I would…
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THE ONE-HOLER JUBILEE
In the summer of 1969, I was working as a lobbyist for the AT&T Corporation in Washington. Ordinarily such work is limited to three years and I had been there on the order of three and a half years. So I was not surprised when the instructions from New York were that I should return…
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ON LANGUAGE: DON’T TOUCH MY JUNK
I hope that it is apparent to all that language is an important part of the human condition. We use it to reason with one another and we use it to praise each other. We use language to denounce each other as evidenced by the recent political campaigns. We use language to persuade each other. …