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  • An Open Letter to the Tyrant of Michigan

    An Open Letter to the Tyrant of Michigan0

    Dear Governor Whitmer, It appears the “non-essentials” are gathering to protest again today. Unfortunately, this third protest – termed “judgment day” by some, makes it a little hard for you to enjoy the contemplative life that government-mandated quarantine would seem to afford us. Yet given that this is your decision, and you have a guaranteed paycheck, I

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  • An Open Letter to Our Kakistocrat Elected Officials

    An Open Letter to Our Kakistocrat Elected Officials0

    Dear Mayors and Governors, In his book The Best Words, Robert Hartwell Fiske, once editor and publisher of the online Vocabula Review, defined kakistocracy (kak-i-Stock-rah-see) as “government by the worst, most unscrupulous, or least qualified citizens.” As one of his examples of usage, he offered this excerpt written by James Russell Lowell in 1876: “What fills me

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  • An Old Guy Looks at Coronavirus

    An Old Guy Looks at Coronavirus0

    Ignorant. That word might well serve as my middle name. I know little of science, though my college professors taught me physics and biology. Higher mathematics is beyond my ken, though I minored in math in college. I recognize the names and the general ideas of certain philosophers, but can’t readily reconstruct Plato’s ideas about

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  • An Ode to the Fathers in My Life

    An Ode to the Fathers in My Life1

    Father’s Day is a day that brings up a full spectrum of feeling for me. This is true for several reasons: One, my relationship with my own father was complicated. Two, I’ve had many father figures who filled in where my father left a void: two grandfathers, a father-in-law, a stepfather, and, of course, my

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  • An Ode to Simple Meals

    An Ode to Simple Meals43

    At my bridal shower several summers ago, I was presented with a book of hand-written recipes cobbled together from the women I knew, and even those I didn’t, as several of my great-grandmother’s recipes made an appearance in the book, thanks to my aunt. That recipe book has been one of the greatest of my

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  • An Ode to Amateur Recitals

    An Ode to Amateur Recitals29

    Sitting in my winter coat, a Styrofoam cup of tea in hand, I listened in awe as the orchestra on stage finished Gustav Holst’s “Jupiter.” Nearby, several friends of mine sat in similar joyous awe, taking in the music. This was a regular Friday or Saturday evening occurrence during my college years. Thanks to the

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