Gretchen Becker

The so-called ‘patriots’ are acting like children

I sort of understand the mindset of people who refuse to follow recommendations for reducing the risk of COVID-19, like wearing masks and avoiding crowds.

When I was 11 years old and walked to school every day with my brother, we would go a long way out of our way to avoid the crossing guards, who would tell us when it was safe to cross the street.

“This is a free country,” we'd shout. “No one can tell me when to cross the street.”

But I grew up.

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At the end of the line

“It's like they say in Havana - if you see a line, stand in it. They probably have something you need,” writes MacLean Gander. When I lived in Manhattan, I operated on the same principle: If there was a line, I figured there was something good on offer. One...

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Sick of the empty broadband promises

We need high-speed Internet. Just be honest about when we can expect it so we can plan accordingly

Many of us chose to live in Vermont because we liked the old-fashioned lifestyle: local milk from dairy farms, heating with wood, gravity-flow spring water, sugaring with horses, visiting friends, and cooking for bake sales and potluck dinners instead of watching TV all evening. But times are changing. Dairy...

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Things aren’t always what they seem...or are they?

I understand that some people don't believe that Osama bin Laden is really dead. I'm not sure. I've heard a rumor that he's living in Nashville with Elvis. But it got me thinking about other things most people accept as true. Do I really know they're true? Can I be sure? Here are a few of the things that are currently troubling me. • The World Trade Center. When I lived in Manhattan, there were no twin towers. Now there...

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