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Dear Annie: Leave your worries for tomorrow

Columns

Dear Readers: Wishing you all a very happy Labor Day. The expectation of this holiday is to take the day off, put our feet up and enjoy the last stretch of summer. How many of you are actually able to take the time to reset and rest today? We say we are going to relax, and then we answer a few emails. We clean the kitchen. We run to the grocery store. We start thinking about everything that needs to happen in September. Before we know it, our day off has turned into another day of checking things off a list. Maybe this Labor Day, we can try something different. Ralph Waldo ...

Dear Annie: Is her drinking my business?

Columns

Dear Annie: I’m 74 and just moved in with my younger sister. Since I’ve been here, I’ve noticed she’s drinking more than I remember her drinking before, close to a bottle of wine nearly every night. She otherwise seems fine. She’s still doing her gardening, cooking meals for herself and meeting up with friends. But still — this can’t be good for her. I’m hesitant to critique how she lives when she otherwise seems fine, especially when it’s something she’s doing in her own home. Do I say something, or is this none of my business? — Newly Moved In Dear Newly Moved ...

Americans should be concerned about the fine print on Trump’s new oil deal

Columns

So, it was a war for oil after all. On social media Friday, President Trump announced that the United States and Venezuela have struck an agreement for “THE BIGGEST OIL DEAL IN WORLD HISTORY.” The whole thing is appalling, starting with the all-caps. I have no love for the Venezuelan regime, run by, in Trump’s words, “the Highly Respected Interim President” Delcy Rodriguez. But this is a “deal” that Rodriguez couldn’t refuse. We invaded her country, abducted her criminal-dictator boss, Nicolas Maduro, and made her our satrap. According to the Wall Street Journal, ...

Antique tools of the trade command interest, provide utility

Columns

Labor Day is a great time to take a look at the tools and trades of yesteryear. Some of them are still around. For example, an H. Gerstner & Sons oak machinist’s chest from the early 20th century sold for $512 at an auction by Eldred’s. H. Gerstner & Sons is still operating, although it is ...

Why working‑class people account for around 1% of lawmakers in the US – and only 2% in the average democracy around the world

Columns

Both major U.S. political parties regularly tout their commitment to working-class Americans and claim to be the party of the working class. However, neither the Democrats nor the Republicans nominate many candidates who spent substantial time in working-class jobs. This near-absence of people from working-class jobs in the halls of power matters. According to research in the U.S. and in other democracies, safety net programs are stingier, business regulations are flimsier and protections for workers are weaker than they would be if people from working-class jobs went on to hold office ...

False increase in A1C level might be possible for one swimmer

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: How could I have an A1C of 5.9% in March, then 8% in July? My diet has been the same. I rarely eat fast food and never drink sodas; I avoid carbs such as sweets and breads whenever possible. Because I was so encouraged by my A1C of 5.9%, I increased my vigorous swimming routine to 2 hours a day. I’m cutting this down to 1 hour on most days, since it didn’t do any good. I do have anemia with hemoglobin and hematocrit at low to low-normal levels, which is always due to AVMs (arteriovenous malformations). I’m 77, and my BMI is over 30. I do need to lose some weight, ...