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FURTHER THOUGHTS IN PRAISE OF NON
Recently I dictated an essay in praise of what I believe is a prefix in the English language. That prefix had to do with the word “non.” You will remember – or I hope you will remember – that I wrote in that essay that I was asked many years ago to identify my daughters.…
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ONE OF THOSE MUSICAL MEMORIES
This essay is an exercise in my own personal nostalgia. It may well be that it will not resonate with many of my readers. But if you will stick with me for a few minutes, you may be enthralled and entertained. Or you may just be bored. The Carr family had three of us who…
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HOW COLOSSALY DUMB CAN YOU GET?
I have never been a member of the Roman Catholic Church. In whatever is left in my life, I do not expect to ever become a member of that faith. The leader of that faith calls himself a pope When it comes to doctrine, I must cite my profound belief in principles. For example, I…
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A TREATISE ON WHILES AND WHENS
This essay has to do with while I am here and secondly, when I am gone. An Australian composer of great note recently produced a memorable work which he called, “While I Am Here.” His name is John Munro. He is originally from Scotland and has long since assumed Australian citizenship. After listening to John…
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AMAZING GRACE
As I sit down to dictate these lines, it is a cold morning in January. With a prayerful thought, January will soon be over. This essay will not be a religious one. Worse than that, it will combine the third rail of all essays in that it will comment upon politics and religion. The title…
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THE LANGUAGE ACCORDING TO MITT ROMNEY
Willard “Mitt” Romney is in a pitched battle during the Republican primaries with Newt Gingrich. Newt Gingrich is a master at spinning a phrase in the English language. Mr. Romney, on the other hand, does not know his backside from third base. But two additions to the American language pronounced by Mr. Romney compelled my…
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SAINTLY THOUGHTS AND OTHER ECCLESIASTICAL MATTERS
I am quite aware that it is unseemly of me to dictate an essay on saintly matters and other ecclesiastical thoughts. Be that it as it may, on this Yom Kippur afternoon that is where my thoughts are headed. A learned gentleman once said to me that Catholic saints offer some specific qualities. For example,…
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GUY D’
As most of you know, I worked for the AT&T Company for a long time. During the last seven or eight years, my duties were with what was then called the Overseas Department. Basically this had to do with telecommunications outside of the United States. It was an assignment that brought a great personal satisfaction. …
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CHERISH THE CHILDREN AND/OR THE UNFATHOMABLE
The dual titles to this essay span a period in time of more than 2500 years. Cherish the children is a maxim from Confucius. Unfathomable was enunciated this week in Newtown, Connecticut by Don Lemon, the indefatigable announcer for CNN on weekends. As you may have guessed, the title has to do with the recent…
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SICK CALL
Anyone who wishes to extol the virtues of medicine as practiced by the United States Army is clearly out of his mind. This encompasses active military service as well as the Veterans Administration. My experience of a little bit more than three years in the American Army would seem to suggest very vociferously that anyone…