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PRIDE GOETH BEFORE A FALLETH
Those of you who are familiar with the literature of the Bible will recognize the title of this essay as a corruption of a verse from Proverbs. Specifically the verse comes from Chapter 16, Verse 18. That verse in its unexpurgated form holds that pride goes before a fall. Because this essay is being dictated…
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HEY, MICHELE, PLEASE ANSWER THE QUESTION
This essay is being dictated on Sunday, the morning after the straw poll in Iowa was taken. In the straw poll, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul each finished with about 30% of the vote. She was fractionally better than Ron Paul, so she claimed a victory. Mind you, this is 30% of the vote in…
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A REVISIT TO THE LANGUAGE OF THE ANGLO-SAXONS
Sven Lernevall is my long-time friend from Sweden. From all appearances, Sven speaks the Swedish language with great proficiency. I will have to rely on expert witnesses whom I trust to testify to Sven’s use of the Swedish language. Beyond that, Sven and his wife Ella speak an elegant brand of the English language. On…
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MITT ROMNEY’S TERRIBLE SLUMP
Under ordinary circumstances, I do not become involved in Republican politics at any level. However in this year of 2011, the entertainment value of the Republican primary season is totally compelling. Among other things, there is Herman Cain who strikes me as a professional comedian. Cain is capable of stating a position and contradicting it…
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HERMAN’S STUD FARM
According to the Julian calendar, which I keep in my hip pocket at all times, today is Friday, December 2, 2011. The latest news about Herman Cain, the Republican aspirant to the Presidency, is that he is going home tonight to keep a “date night” with his wife. I expect that Herman will have a…
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JOSEPH RATZINGER, POPE EMERITUS
It has been about 600 years since a pope resigned. Consequently, there is some confusion about what the former Pope should be called. At the moment, he is simply known as the Pope Emeritus. Whether he adopts this title as his formal title remains to be seen. Joseph Ratzinger had been the Pope of the…
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O BEAUTIFUL FOR SPACIOUS SKIES
The week ending on October 8 was an eventful week which may have consequences for every American as we travel down the road toward prosperity. Three events took place, one involving a baseball decision and two others having local consequences. But let us deal first with the baseball decision. As you may be aware, the…
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YOUR LYING EARS
A few years back, there was a popular television program called “You Bet Your Life.” Groucho Marx, the wise-cracking brother from the Marx brothers, was the master of ceremonies for this program. There came an occasion when Groucho Marx, in response to a question from one of his participants, asked, “Are you going to believe…
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THE MAN AT THE FEED STORE
This essay is about the man who works at a feed store in eastern Kansas. It comes to me from a woman who was born in Olomouc in the Czech Republic. Since her birth, she has migrated first to England and then to New York. So you see, there are international implications to this simple…