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Can we please stop this nonsense of attaching comma Illinois to any mention of Chicago? It really bugs me.

My good old Associated Press Stylebook (a bible) insists "The city in Illinois stands alone in datelines." Good enough for me.

Yes, there is North Chicago, IL; West Chicago, IL; and even East Chicago, IN. They are entitled to and deserve their commas. As do St. Louis, MO and St. Louis, MI where my grandmother was born. My grandfather was born in Holland - Michigan, that is. Nobody asked him if he wore wooden shoes or ate Gouda cheese. No wooden shoes, as far as I know, but he loved all cheeses, especially Limburger - and that is why I kept my distance from him.

And yes, we must have commas to distinguish between the cities of Rome, NY and London, Ontario and those towns in Italy and England. Imagine: you tell your friends you're going to London; they expect a postcard of Big Ben; instead they get a photo of a hockey player in Canada. Confusion. See what I mean?

So enough of Chicago, Illinois; it's like saying New York City, New York. Or like saying Minneapolis, Idaho.

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Please add "And so did I as a teenager" after AP "stands alone" quote. Another boffo joke. So sorry for my nonsense. Having great, sort of funny day so far. Happy Holidays!

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A quick internet check says that Barzun’s ‘most recent book’ was actually first published in 2000...not recently, but the amazing thing is that he wrote it in his 90’s!

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What happened to Swift after he “married” the couple and gifted them his poem?

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That poem opened my eyes up a little.

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