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SATAN
At the moment, we are concerned – or at least the Republicans are concerned – with the outcome of the presidential nominating process. The early leaders in the Republican primary contest have largely dropped out, leaving only four people. There is the favorite, Mitt Romney. He is being challenged closely by Rick Santorum. Then we…
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VATICAN LULLABIES
The title of this essay suggests that it will be about the Catholic Church. At the outset, it should be stated that the author of this essay, who is also the editor of Ezra’s Essays, is not a Catholic and has no intention of becoming one in the near future. But in this essay, I…
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BOA CONSTRICTORS AND OTHER REPTILES
This is my first essay post partum my 90th birthday. I had meant to dictate it much earlier, but there was the painting of the outside of the house, which was being done by a fellow who was in imminent danger of being self deported. By this time, I assume that he is safely back…
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HOW DUMB, DUMB, DUMB CAN A MAN BE?
Sunday mornings around this household are a leisurely affair. They consist primarily of my having my weekly cup of decaffeinated coffee but mostly of listening to the talk shows which dominate Sunday morning television. Obviously I cannot see the images on the screen but I follow the dialogue with considerable interest. Last Sunday, which was…
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THE REVERSE LAYAWAY PLAN AND OTHER INDIGNITIES
As I was showering this afternoon, some bizarre thoughts entered my mind. It is fairly clear to me now that as we advance into old age, a role reversal becomes more apparent. Let us take the example of major league baseball players who are performing at a plateau of considerable excellence. When that excellence begins…
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A POLYGAMY OF ESSAYETTES
I am well aware of the fact that the three essayettes to follow may be called a trio of essayettes. But I have elected not to do that. I have elected to call them a polygamy of essayettes. There is nothing wrong with trio or, if there is a fourth essay, calling it a…
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…LOVE HER, LOVE HER, LOVE HER
The title of this essay comes from a song in the stage production of Camelot. It opened on Broadway in December, 1960. That means that the production of the Broadway play is now 50 years old. When I hear the songs from that show, in particular as performed by Samuel Ramey, it brings back memories…
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GOING VIRAL
My ancient and good friend, Sven Lernevall, is an astute observer of the English language. You may recall that it was Sven who offered the opinion that the English language is “a rich language.” From time to time, I have tried to keep up with the changes in the language as I continue to marvel…
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ESCORTS VS. PLAIN OLD PROSTITUTION (POP)
I do not intend to claim great expertise in the field of escorts or in the field of plain old prostitution. What brings all of this to mind is an incident earlier in April of this year wherein some Secret Service agents had a soiree in Cartagena, Colombia and then invited the women to their…
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IN PRAISE OF…
According to my notepad, I had wanted to dictate an essay entitled “In Praise of Running Water and Flushing Toilets.” Further down on my notepad, I discovered an entry called “In Praise of the Forgettery.” These are different subjects but because I make the rules around here, it seemed to me that the two of…