David PraamsmaWhy Americans are Over the Moon for UnderdogsLike most Americans I am easily inebriated by underdog stories. Give me a few swigs of an unlikely hero story and I’m flushed beyond…4 min read·Apr 4, 2024----
David PraamsmaHow Artificial Intelligence is plotting our Eventual StupidityCall me old-fashioned, but up until recently “AI” meant nothing more to me than the sound you make at the end of the day when you lay on…4 min read·Feb 1, 2024----
David PraamsmaHow to Reinvigorate Unpopular Family Holiday TraditionsThis Christmas will mark the 18th year that I have been forcing my kids to make homemade gifts for each other. It has been a source of…4 min read·Dec 23, 2023----
David PraamsmaTo Tree or Not to TreeI have a complicated relationship with trees. To me, a big, old, wind-toppled maple tree is both a heartbreaking sight as well as a…4 min read·Nov 10, 2023----
David PraamsmaWelcome to Vermont: Home of the Garden Zealot!If there is a role columnists take very seriously it is that of a social watchdog — sounding alarms when troubling trends arrive. In light…4 min read·Jun 7, 2023----
David PraamsmaWhy it’s Hard to be Happy about Finland’s “Happiness Streak”Finland has just been awarded “Happiest Country in the World” for its sixth straight year and while I’m sure they are all marvelously…4 min read·May 8, 2023----
David PraamsmaIn Defense of SentimentalismI recently saw a movie called “A Man Called Otto”. It was a shamelessly sentimental film with a predictable storyline, and it reduced me to…3 min read·Mar 23, 2023----
David PraamsmaHow Frozen Pipes Helped Build My Character While Destroying My BasementIn Vermont it’s advisable to hold your tongue about cold winters until you’ve weathered at least a few good pipe freezings.4 min read·Feb 8, 2023----
David PraamsmaIn Defense of Scandalous Family Christmas LettersEach Christmas season I experience strange and uncomfortable irony as an English teacher. Come December my wife morphs into a schoolmaster…4 min read·Dec 16, 2022----
David PraamsmaNegotiating NovemberIf there is a month with a bit of baggage here in Vermont it has to be November.4 min read·Nov 10, 2022----