Sunlight glints off polished windows on a bright, but cold, Saturday afternoon. A second-story deck overlooks Sacketts Brook. A fresh coat of red paint reflects the movement of pedestrians crossing Route 5 to Kimball Hill Road. An early winter wind catches a red, white, and blue flag unveiling the long-awaited word. Open. A crowd gathers before a strip of yellow ribbon. On Nov. 1, 2009, many in Saturday's crowd stood on the same spot, behind another yellow ribbon - police...
Owen Taylor grew up playing all kinds of musical instruments, but he discovered the banjo rather late. On a whim, he bought himself one for his birthday because he thought it seemed like a fun instrument. Even then, the banjo lay in the corner of his room, untouched for a long time. That changed when he was living in San Francisco and Julia Steele Allen became his roommate. She played and loved the instrument, which inspired him to begin exploring...
When I was about 8 years old, my mother explained holiday greetings to me. It was simple. If someone is Christian, say “Merry Christmas.” If someone is Jewish, “Happy Hanukkah” is appropriate. And if you don't know, “Happy Holidays” or “Happy New Year” always work. For my mom, it wasn't about political correctness or hatred of Christmas. Far from it. It was about being polite, having good manners, and respecting the fact that our religious beliefs were not shared by...
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