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Dear Cog readers,
What's the most memorable gift you’ve ever received? That’s the question we’re asking you this week for a project inspired by one of our favorite columnists, Heidi Stevens of the Chicago Tribune. (You can find her lovely compilation here.)
Giving and receiving gifts is a hallmark of the season. The best gifts I’ve ever given or received are thoughtful, specific and surprising. They stay with me and let me know that the giver knows and cares about me. It’s nice to get something on your “list,” but even better to get the perfect thing you never realized was essential.
What about you? Maybe it’s an experience someone gave you (a weekend away!), or an original piece of artwork, or a signed copy of a book by your favorite author. We want to know. Please reply to this email (try to keep your response to 30-100 words) or fill out our Google form. We’ll be sharing reader responses in a post before the New Year.
Also this week on Cognoscenti, impeachment, Trump’s latest attack on the poor and what Prince Andrew’s response to the Jeffrey Epstein scandal tells us about enduring structures of male power. And there's a glimmer of hope in the climate fight -- in the form of a new law in Brookline, that could be a model for other communities across the state.
— Cloe Axelson
Co-editor, Cognoscenti
newsletters@wbur.org
Must Reads
Why Are We Letting Trump Decide Who Gets To Eat And Who Goes Hungry?
Some 35,000 Massachusetts residents will lose access to food stamps as a result of a new Trump administration rule. It's counterproductive, writes Erin McAleer, and it’s also cruel.
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What Prince Andrew's Fall From Grace Tells Us About The Systems That Protect Abusers
The prince is implicated in the Jeffrey Epstein scandal. And his defense is hardly surprising, writes Lauren Stiller Rikleen.
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Lessons Of Resilience And Hope Amid The Travesty At Boston Children’s Theatre
As children learn the painful lesson that human nature is complicated, we also want to preserve their hope and capacity to trust and to dream, write Robert Brooks and Nancy Rappaport.
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Support the news
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How Democrats Win The Impeachment Argument
Democrats need to deliver a clear and simple narrative, and counterpunch unrelenting Republican lies. They should start by speaking in plain English.
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Bookmarks
“If Congress cannot exercise its core oversight capacity, obtain documents and subpoena administration officials to testify, the essential system of checks and balances has broken down. The presidency will have become an elected dictatorship.” (“It’s Hard To Be An Optimist About America Right Now,” The Washington Post)
“That shift appears necessary as voters who say they love Warren’s brand as a populist policy whiz also express increasing worry about one particular plan that’s overshadowing them all: Medicare for All.” (“Some Elizabeth Warren Backers Urge The ‘Plans’ Candidate To Get More Personal,” The Boston Globe)
“Seeing her pull off a grand period drama with such confidence, humor, and style leaves you with a sensation not unlike what Jo March must be feeling in the film’s final scene, as she watches while her first book is printed, sewn, and bound, a tiny smile playing on her lips. I can’t believe it’s all finally happening, her face seems to say. I can’t wait to see what comes next.” (“Greta Gerwig Has Made Cinema’s Greatest Little Women,” Slate)
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From The Archives
In Praise Of Old Friendships
Old friends allow us -- indeed, expect us -- to look and speak without pretense, writes Julie Wittes Schlack. When I'm with them, I can finally, deeply relax.
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If you’d like to write for Cognoscenti, send your submission, pasted into your email and not as an attachment, to opinion@wbur.org. Please tell us in one line what the piece is about, and please tell us in one line who you are.
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