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We lost one of the great grumps this week

Columns

In every school, work or personal gathering, you need at least one grump for the group to thrive. Grumps do the work that no one else will. When everyone else is being mercilessly upbeat, they swim against the tide and complain. The grump may follow your inane rules — but grudgingly, oh, boy, will it be grudgingly — but they never let them pass unremarked upon. Where other folks try to fit in, the grumps stand out, not because they want to, but because they must. Even in a children’s show like “Sesame Street,” you need an Oscar the Grouch to balance out what otherwise could ...

The young, violent political left

Columns

You have to be awfully smart to believe something this stupid. In a Manhattan Institute survey of Democratic voters, 46% said they believed it was definitely or probably true that “the assassination attempt against Donald Trump in July 2024 was orchestrated by his supporters to increase sympathy for him.” That’s a startlingly high number for a party whose members are increasingly drawn from the ranks of college graduates and those with graduate school degrees. And for a party whose articulate leaders are prone to dismissing Republican talking points as “conspiracy ...

Dear Annie: Later-in-life baby only needs love

Columns

Dear Annie: My husband and I are raising a surprise baby at a stage in life when we thought our child-rearing years were mostly behind us. Our older children are already teenagers and young adults, and while we adore this little one, I would be lying if I said the large age gap has not brought some unexpected emotions with it. On one hand, this baby is deeply loved and has brought joy to our whole family. On the other, I sometimes worry that he will grow up feeling more like an only child than part of a sibling group. By the time he is old enough to really know his brothers and ...

Voting Rights ruling will promote corrupt electoral maps

Columns

The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. cautiously praised the hard-won Voting Rights Act of 1965 as a “great step forward” toward removing obstacles that kept Black Americans from voting. It was. But this week, in striking down a voter redistricting map in Louisiana, the U.S. Supreme Court has taken that embattled law and the movement that marched and campaigned for it on a disastrous step backward. Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker expressed the sentiments of many Americans, particularly Democrats, saying of the high court ruling, “It is an attack on a crown jewel of our democracy.” As ...

Exercise is best to help preserve function in the shoulders

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband, 79, has to get both of his shoulders replaced (a reverse total shoulder replacement) due to osteoarthritis. He had the first shoulder done two months ago. It is a very painful procedure and consists of a long and painful recovery. Physical therapy is helping. Now I’m concerned with every painful twinge in my shoulders. What, if anything, can people do to keep their shoulders healthy and keep themselves from needing surgery? He put off seeing his doctor for more than a year, even as his pain worsened. — S.Q. ANSWER: There are several different types of ...

Dear Annie: My child’s success in sports shouldn’t be a threat

Columns

Dear Annie: I have a friend I have known for years, and our sons have grown up playing lacrosse together. On the surface, we are both supportive sports moms who cheer from the sidelines, pack the snacks and talk about practices, tournaments and college hopes. But underneath it all, I have started to feel something painful that I can no longer ignore. Whenever my son has a strong game, gets recognition from a coach or reaches some milestone, my friend never seems genuinely happy for him. She may smile and say the right words, but there is always something strained behind it. Sometimes ...