A letter to the Miss Manners column questions why people seem fixated on receiving written gratitude and even calls thank-you note expectations “brutal and draconian.” The complaint highlights a larger conversation about whether politeness has come at the cost of genuine personal choice.

In Uganda, one of Africa’s largest coffee producers, women toil tirelessly in the fields yet seldom see the profits of their labor. Now, a Ugandan businesswoman is spearheading a movement to form a “coffee sisterhood,” aiming to empower women and shift the balance in this traditional industry.