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Dear Annie: Gift gaffe

Columns

Dear Annie: On a yearly basis, my employer recognizes employees who have dedicated 10, 15, 20, etc. years of service as well as individuals who are retiring. These employees have their names published in local press and also receive a gift. This past year I completed my 10th year of service. While my name was published, I never received a gift. Everyone else received one, so it’s not that the tradition stopped and I was unaware; mine was just somehow overlooked. My co-workers tell me I should ask about it, but I feel kind of awkward doing so. Is it tacky to contact the human resources ...

Obsessed with yesterday, Trump is unprepared for tomorrow

Columns

“The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” The Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner wrote those words in 1951. Yet, they could be a commentary on the political scene 75 years later. No issue matters more to President Donald Trump than the results of the 2020 election. Despite newspaper investigations, congressional hearings and the results of over 60 legal challenges, he still says he won. This year, FBI agents in flak jackets seized boxes related to the presidential election six years ago in Fulton County, Georgia. After a Justice Department investigation, his ...

Shingles patient doesn’t experience pain due to vaccination

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I was reading your recent column about shingles. Several years ago, I contracted shingles, even after getting the shingles vaccine. It hit me in my left eye, so I went to my eye doctor. (I wasn’t sure what the problem was.) He took one look at my eye and diagnosed me with shingles. He gave me an antibiotic that cleared up the problem. At no time was I in any pain, which I attributed to my getting the vaccine. Do you concur with my observation? I’m aware that getting shingles can be very painful. — L.J. ANSWER: Shingles is caused by a reactivation of the chicken ...

The GOP isn’t always the best party for conservatives

Columns

I often get asked for my advice on how to vote. I’m the first to concede these requests come from a very niche slice of the electorate — that tiny remnant of people who know who I am, value my opinion and share my exasperation with both parties. I am going to answer the question. But first let me explain why I don’t like it. I think too many pundits on the left and right fall into the habit of confusing or conflating the fortunes of a party with that of their philosophy. Many come by this tendency honestly. As the parties have polarized ideologically, it’s a natural ...

Blood Crisis

Letters to the editor

Sherry Nealon-Shrive Wilkes-Barre The American Red Cross is facing only the second national blood crisis in its history — and donors are urgently needed now to help ensure hospitals have the blood products patients depend on every day. While thousands have stepped up since the emergency blood and platelet shortage was announced, the blood supply remains vulnerable. Additional donors are needed now to help protect patient care. Seasonal challenges in the weeks ahead could place additional strain on the blood supply. End-of-summer travel and back-to-school activities can ...

Man wants to treat arthritis with GAE, rather than knee surgery

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 74-year-old male who’s in otherwise excellent health. However, I have severe arthritis in my knees to the point where it keeps me up at night. I keep reading about this treatment called GAE (genicular artery embolization), and since I only have about a good 10 years or so left on this planet, I wanted to know your thoughts on this treatment. A full knee replacement requires a year of physical therapy, so I’d rather not do one. — P.C. ANSWER: GAE uses biologically inert material (absorbable gelatin microspheres) to block specific abnormal blood vessels ...