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OH SAY CAN YOU SEE…
According to historical facts, this country declared its independence from the English monarchy some 235 years ago. But judging from the comments about a wedding taking place on Friday of this week, it would be hard to discern that we were at last free of the constraints of the English monarchy. From what I can…
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THE MATRICULATION OF SERGEANT CARR, ARMY OF THE UNITED STATES
Those of you who read these essays carefully may recall an incident dating to January of 1936. At that time, I entered high school. The Clayton Missouri public school system offered a course in high school in preparation for those who were going on to college. When I was asked if college were in my…
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TWO RANDOM THOUGHTS
The first random thought is that we are making some sort of progress in terms of imagining supernatural creatures sending storms and hurricanes to disrupt our lives. At the moment those of us on the east coast of the United States are preparing to deal with Hurricane Irene. It threatens to uproot our trees, blow…
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MISSING THE BLUES
It is a biological fact that as men age, the more girlfriends they acquire. Last week, I had a long conversation with just such a girlfriend where the attraction between the two of us goes back for more than 30 years. If you read Ezra’s Essays closely, you will find that the girlfriend was a…
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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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THE DESCENDENTS OF ABRAHAM ARE LOUSY CUTTERS OF GRASS
In mid-July of 2011, a giant dome formed over the eastern states. The result was several days of temperatures exceeding 90°. On one of those Sundays during the period of the dome, a major sound reached my ears. It was a one-lung engine, which was mounted on a lawnmower. The sound came from my immediate…
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A MATTER OF INTROSPECTION
These lines are being dictated on a Sunday, September 11, 2011. This of course is the tenth anniversary of the destruction of the World Trade Center and the attack on the Pentagon. Further, it also marks the anniversary of American Flight 93 that was downed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania in a heroic action by the passengers. …
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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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SPRECHEN SIE DEUTSCH?
Under ordinary circumstances, a visit to a physician in a non-emergency situation would not qualify as a reason for writing an essay. Certainly that is true on a morning when we learned that Muammar Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator, seems to have met his demise. But in this case, my visit with the learned cardiologist Andrew…
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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…