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Grace for a graduate

The hard part ought to be behind you, but you suspect the greatest challenge awaits: how to properly punctuate your college career.

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Patience and politeness in Minnesota recount

No one would mistake Hastings, Minn., in late November 2008 for West Palm Beach, Fla., in late November 2000. Hypervigilance, an abiding regard for the rules, and, yes, some of that good old Minnesota Nice marked the opening of the hand recount here to determine the winner of the United States Senate race.

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The Oxford Project: Small-town life revealed

The pictures and names function as a key to the town; you can track the silk strands that make up the intricate web of small-town life.

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Grammar Girl assists armchair editors

If there's one thing that likely distinguished Grammar Girl's Minneapolis stop from the rest of her national book tour, it's the prolonged discussion about reconciling Minnesota Nice with Fastidious Grammarian. Being precise but not persnickety.

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Here comes the Botoxed bride

What it takes to get gorgeous has changed. A flattering dress, a liberal application of mascara and the natural cosmetic of joy no longer suffice, according to today's wedding industry.

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A slice of pumpkin bread: how hospitality heals

I can bring any mood to my grandma's house, and it will be lifted in a few seconds as the door swings open and her arms spread wide.

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