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KATHLEEN MAVOURNEEN: AN ADVENTURE STORY
During the 1930s and 40s, and perhaps a bit longer, there was a magnificent tenor who appeared in several productions of The Metropolitan Opera as well as in concerts. He also appeared on radio and later on television programs like The Bell Telephone Hour and The Firestone Hour. I was glad to tell people that…
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TALL GRASS
When I was a child, my friends Charlie Aldridge and Billy Seyfried liked to play baseball. There were plenty of empty lots which we often converted into ball fields. There was a problem because the weeds and grass had to be cut down before the ball game could start. But the only means of cutting…
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SONIA GOES HUNTING
As most Americans will recall, there are eight Associate Justices on the United States Supreme Court. One of them is Sonia Sotomayor, who originally came from the Bronx in New York City. Now it is important for readers of these essays to know that no self-respecting fox, raccoon, squirrel, or rabbit has ever inhabited the…
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DIVINE ECCLESIASTICAL THOUGHTS
For those of you who follow the publication of books, there is a new one that you may wish to keep track of. It is called “The Infancy Narratives,” and it was written by none other than Joseph Ratzinger, the head man of the Roman Catholic faith. This is the third book in a trilogy…
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TOO JUST RIGHT
At this point I have written a few essays beyond the 700 mark. It is possible that it is a repeat of an earlier essay, but I doubt it. And in any case, it is a pleasant memory which obviously bears repeating. In 1955 my employer decided that he had a promotion for me and…
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HAVE AMERICANS GONE SOFT?
In the late 1940s, I found myself in Boston. I had always thought of Boston as being among one of the cooler climes. But this was in August and I found myself sweating profusely. As a final resort, I repaired to a movie theater that offered some sort of cooling. I am not sure at…
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GETTING KISSED
As soon as I could after the war, I returned to work for the AT&T Corporation in St. Louis. It may not have been the wisest move I ever made but Congress had passed a law that provided that those of us who had worked in industry prior to military service should be reinstated. AT&T…
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PURGATORY
This essay about Purgatory comes about because of my insatiable curiosity. It is not meant as a diatribe against the Catholic belief. On the other hand, it is meant to determine what is meant by Purgatory and what we must do while we are here on Earth to enjoy the benefits or lack of benefits…
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BARACK, WE HARDLY KNEW YE
Obviously, the title of this essay is taken from an ancient Irish folk song entitled, “Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye.” I believe the title is appropriate because Barack Obama had a meteoric rise from a community organizer in Chicago all the way to the presidency of the United States. I am not an active participant…