In Days of Yore

Current novels are replete with lurid crimes, carnage, and death. Do you get wistful when you recall the romantic tales which begin with an innocent maiden traveling through the rustic countryside? She is dressed in glittering raiment. The scene is idyllic. Without warning, the group is set upon by a virile brigand, who, the most …

Call Me By My Right Name

My cousin refers to himself as a “sanitary engineer” – a euphemism for garbage collector. There are any number of people who try to find more respectable or glamorous titles for the mundane job they hold. It may seem incongruous to call an undertaker a “condolence counselor,” or to refer to a taxi driver as …