Word: beggars
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...narrated by Juan Cabezon, descendent of converted Jews. Orphaned as a child, witness to his mother's violent murder, the protagonist has survived in the Medieval town of Madrid by his wits, with the guidance of some of Castile's most suspicious characters. These include the blind and bumbling beggar Pero Menaque, an accidental prophet who reappears throughout the novel to inflect the protagonist's course. He leads Cabezon through the darkest, dirtiest quarters of Madrid, introducing him to the beggars, scoundrels, prostitutes and pariahs that constitute Madrid's other life...
...elderly are all-too-witting pawns in this game of beggar--thy-young-neighbor doctoring. The old get older, consume more and more health care resources, and get older and older and seemingly never die. Politicans don't have the guts to confront the AARP's millions of votes, so the elderly continue to monopolize dollars through high-tech efforts to push the envelope of life expectancy. Medicare (read: your income taxes) pays a lot, co-insurance is cheap, so the old, like the insured, don't care...
...fantasy world of cosmetics, hope and hype have always been the rulers, and truth the rude beggar at the gate. Americans have long recognized that fact -- and dismissed it. "Oh, I know it probably doesn't do everything they say it does," admits Evelyn, a San Diego secretary, while purchasing some skin cream at a Nordstrom counter. "But it makes my skin look and feel better, so I'll keep buying...
...using their knowledge of currents and the feel of intermittent waves that bounce off distant islands; they have explored the medicinal properties of plants; and they have acquired an understanding of the basic ecology of flora and fauna. If this knowledge had to be duplicated from scratch, it would beggar the scientific resources of the West. Much of this expertise and wisdom has already disappeared, and if neglected, most of the remainder could be gone within the next generation...
...antithesis of trite "Four Score" is "John," the foremost song of social consciousness for The Barley Boys. It shares the coolness and plaintive tone of their previous number, "Harbortown," but has a strong groove that distinguishes it. "John" applies the intensity of "Harbortown" to the plight of a homeless beggar in the Boston Common. The poignant, probing lines like, "Oh, what is it that plays with our minds that prevents us from doing something human and kind?" understandably, and understandingly, haunt listeners...