Majolica collectors are familiar with many names, like George Jones, Sarreguemines, and, of course, famous ceramics factories like Copeland, Minton, and Wedgwood. Hugo Lonitz may be lesser known, but still important. While most of the best-known manufacturers of the richly glazed ...
Senate Majority Leader John Thune said something out loud this weekend that many in Washington have long understood: Sen. Chuck Schumer, he argued, lives in fear of the far-left wing of his party. Thune pointed to Democrats blocking debate on military funding and a defense authorization bill, as well as resistance around the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. He also recalled the backlash Schumer faced after voting to reopen the government during an earlier shutdown fight. In Thune’s telling, Schumer learned the price of defying his party’s loudest faction and has deferred to it ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: You recently used the term “abnormal irregular heartbeat.” I’ve had an irregular heartbeat for decades without seemingly ill effects. My doctors haven’t put any restrictions on my vigorous cycling or any other activities that I do at 84 years old. Does this mean that I have normal irregular heartbeats? Is there an implied difference by your use of “abnormal?” — S.B. ANSWER: The answer is more complicated than it might seem. A perfectly regular heartbeat is, perhaps counterintuitively, not normal. The heart should respond to subtle changes in chest pressure ...
Most Americans apparently agree on at least one thing. Unfortunately, it’s something dangerous: price controls. A new Wall Street Journal poll finds remarkable bipartisan support for government limits on prices, with 93% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans supporting capping prescription drug prices. Nearly four in five voters support capping credit card interest rates at 10%. And large majorities favor capping child care charges for working families. The Journal describes these policies as “populist.” That’s fair, although populism means something more specific than just ...
Dear Annie: My siblings and I usually go in on gifts for my parents for birthdays and holidays. Since there are five of us, we can pool enough for something really nice, such as new golf clubs or a weekend away, rather than five smaller separate gifts. My dad’s birthday is coming up, and my sister sent around her usual text to coordinate. The problem is my finances are especially tight this year. My car needed a ton of work last month, my landlord just raised the rent, and I’m still paying off student loans. I don’t want my dad to think I care less, and I don’t want my ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 79-year-old woman who’s trying her best to stay strong physically with daily exercise, eating right, and successfully living independently after the death of my husband. Other than taking one 20-mg benazepril tablet daily for high blood pressure, I’m in pretty good health. Recently, several friends who are close to my age have been diagnosed with low blood sodium levels. One landed in the ICU for several days, while others had problems with falls, swollen ankles and legs, slurred speech, and difficulty thinking and problem-solving, among other symptoms. ...
