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Yes, We Have Bananas… in All Shapes and Sizes 0
- Culture
- January 4, 2021
“Yes, we have no bananas” was a hit song from the 1920s. Here a Greek fruit vendor answers all questions with “yes,” even when the answer is negative. In today’s America, we have lots of bananas. First, of course, are the curved yellow fruits sold in bunches. You may be living in Alaska or Massachusetts,
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The Neighborhood Stands Between Us and Totalitarianism 0
- Culture
- January 4, 2021
The string of bonfires my neighbors hosted last fall were a departure from the norm in more ways than one. Anticipating the bleak prospect of a Minnesota winter with limited social gatherings, my neighbors decided to rally those around them for a time of encouragement. Neighbors who have waved at each other for years came
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Family Brawl in the House of Trump 1
- Politics
- January 4, 2021
A week from today, Joe Biden will still be on his inexorable course to become the 46th president of the United States. Why, then, the hysteria that has suddenly gripped this city? The triggering event was the announcement by GOP Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri. Despite Leader Mitch McConnell’s plea, Hawley said he intended to challenge
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Who Speaks for the Unborn in Massachusetts?0
- Culture
- January 1, 2021
In its most recent exercise of liberal democracy, the state senate of Massachusetts voted 32-8 to override Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of what is called the Roe Act. One day earlier, Monday, the state house had voted to override. The Roe Act is now law in the Bay State. And what does it say?
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Sledding Down the Slippery Slope 0
- Culture
- December 31, 2020
A friend who was just noodling around the AccuWeather site found a blog post called “Why Have Midwestern Cities Banned a Beloved Winter Pastime?” The piece, which seems like it might just sit in a slush pile on AccuWeather‘s news desk and await recycling every snow season, discusses a few horrible
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What the Editors are Reading: ‘Our Man: Richard Holbrooke’0
- Literature
- December 31, 2020
Richard Holbrooke was the most shameless self-promoter in Washington D.C., a town that specialized in self-promotion, as George Packer writes in Our Man: Richard Holbrooke and the End of the American Century. He was a social climber par excellence, a sycophant who embarrassed Barack Obama with his flattery to such an extent that he was banned from the
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