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A Brief History of Chains and Chainmaking
I am holding a very special letter in my hand right now. But, first… Whether we realize it or not, chains play a very important part in our lives. Indeed, chains have, throughout history, helped to hold the very fabric of our changing civilization together. For example, I was astounded to learn that the metal…
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A Room With a View
Everyone likes a room with a view. Otherwise, why do we need windows? Does anyone want to look out over the Fresh Kills Land on Staten Island, the Gowanus Canal or the latest toxic runoff pond from some mine in northern Canada? No, we don’t. And, I believe I can speak for most of us,…
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The Bubble Man of Montreal
He was a dream-maker, a writer of love letters and a magician in a black frock coat; he played out his act in the square in front of the Basilique of Notre-Dame in Montreal. He was like a pilgrim doing his penance, with the Basilique keeping watch on his movements. The man appeared, without seeming…
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Mummies in Dublin? or How I Filled a Day Looking For a White Horse
Right here at the start, I’ll say that if you want a good look at Dublin, a really good look, then you have to do some homework. Go out and buy a copy of James Joyce’s’ Ulysses, pick up a Cliff Notes while you’re at it, and read away. This zillion page novel takes the…
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Pushing Chalk: Recollections on a Classroom Life
Hey, teacher leave them kids alone. -Pink Floyd “Another Brick in the Wall” 1979 “What is a rock?” I actually asked this question of my Earth & Space Science class of ninth graders. It was probably my third year of teaching. I was in a public school near Wilkes-Barre, PA. There were thirty kids in…
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The Man Who Planned His Own Funeral
People plan for births, for retirements, proms, dates, Thanksgiving dinners and Oscar parties. So, it’s only logical that one plans their own funeral. This is not a new idea. The whole point is to take the burden of the eschatological events off the shoulders of those that remain behind. It’s my feeling that those who…
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A Visit To A Foreign Land
Life was getting a little repetitious at Rainbow Lake, here in the heart of the Northern Adirondacks. My office Indoor/Outdoor weather station seemed to be having a battery problem. The outside temperature indicator sometimes showed no digits at all. Not wanting to check the red-liquid filled thermometer nailed to the post under the deck, I…
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This Old House
There is so much to be done when your last surviving parent dies. My father passed away nearly ten years to the day and I can remember so much of the aftermath that my brother, wife and I had to deal with. The lawyers, the probate, the will, endless medical records, phone calls, funeral arrangement…
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The Night They Pulled The Plug in Louisiana
Originally posted on patrickjegan: It was a long time ago–perhaps the late 1960’s or early 1970’s. It was the wrong time, the wrong place and the wrong evening to be holding a pair of tickets to a Steppenwolf concert. I attended college in the deep south in the mid-1960’s. In itself, there’s nothing strange about…
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patrickjegan 