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Regret

Regret is a powerful emotion. An honest man or woman, with a noble heart, feels its lash whenever advantage is unfairly taken, or offense unjustly given. A scoundrel, in contrast, lies, cheats and steals without moral discomfort. His only regret is getting caught. The foregoing dichotomy...

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I DO HEREBY SWEAR…

Oaths still play a role in modern day life. Every time I file a witness declaration in court, the declarant states: “I hereby declare and state that the foregoing is true and correct under the penalty of perjury.” Most people give a similar oath when...

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REVENGE

The desire for revenge against transgressors is an integral part of the human condition. Some deny they are subject to this urge (prevarication), some contend they have banished it from their lofty thoughts (not likely), others manage the urge (e.g. John Quincy Adams – keeping...

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Guinevere’s Damoclean Burdens

Anyone who became the King of England during the “middle ages” was consigned to bear a great, and often unbearable burden. It was a dangerous, stressful and complicated job. The king had to protect the realm from invasions, which were all too frequent; identify and...

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Guinevere’s Burden

In one of the more recent histories on the decline and fall of Rome, the author made both a critical and ominous point. One hundred and fifty years before the date designated as the “fall” of Rome, 476 A.D., the Romans had no inkling the...

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Characters

Every character in a novel, unless he or she is based upon a historical figure, is drawn from the author’s imagination. The character looks, talks and acts in accordance with the writer’s mental perceptions, and lives and dies in accordance with the writer’s grand, or...

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VETERANS’ DAY / ARMISTICE DAY

Today is “Veteran’s Day” in the United States. In Great Britain, it is referred to as “Armistice Day” or “Remembrance Day” (and “Poppy Day”). In France, the day is “L'armistice de la Première Guerre Mondiale.” The date originally commemorated is the armistice ending hostilities in...

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