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Earth Month

Letters to the editor

Gary Jump Itasca, IL April is Earth Month — a time to savor the wonderful planet that gives us bright blue skies, breathtaking mountains, wide-open plains, serene river valleys and lakes, captivating forests and an endless variety of plants and animals. Earth Month is also time for considering what more should be done to protect it. Climate scientists agree: human activity has caused rapid warming of Earth. Warming occurred before, but over thousands of years. Current global warming started less than 200 years ago, when we began burning coal, oil, and natural gas, polluting the ...

Nipple soreness from phone could be due to odd placement

Columns

DEAR DR. ROACH: I’m a 75-year-old man. I keep my cellphone in my left shirt pocket every day. Recently, my left nipple has become very sore. I asked my general physician about it, and he wasn’t concerned. I’m concerned that the electromagnetic field from the phone may be an issue. Is there any research on this, and should I have this checked more carefully? — T.W. ANSWER: Your physician was correct. Cellphones cannot produce frequencies with enough energy to damage tissues. It’s much more likely that the mechanical rubbing of the phone on your chest is causing the soreness. ...

It’s time to take unserious presidential budgets seriously

Columns

The president’s fiscal 2027 budget is out, and I have two reactions. The first will sound familiar: Like so many budgets before it, this is not a serious effort to put America’s government on a sustainable path. The second is more important: It would be a mistake to dismiss it as just another unserious document. That is exactly how we got here. Start with what the new budget does and does not do. It’s not a comprehensive fiscal plan. It covers only about one-third of federal spending, focusing heavily on discretionary choices and largely ignoring the autopilot spending that ...

Dear Annie: Bright light, sleepless nights

Columns

Dear Annie: My neighbor “Rod” installed a motion-activated floodlight that shines directly into our bedroom window every time our dog (or another animal) moves in the yard — which is often. It goes off all night long. I mentioned it once, and he said, “It’s for security,” and suggested we “get better curtains.” We already have blackout shades, but the light still leaks in around the edges. I don’t want to start a neighborhood feud, but I also haven’t slept properly in weeks. How do I get him to listen? — Blinded at Bedtime Dear Blinded at Bedtime: Ask again ...

America’s bright and dark side, all in a day

Columns

The seventh of April: Put it down as the most schizophrenic day in United States history. While the nation waited with bated breath to see if Donald Trump would keep his threat to destroy the ancient Iranian “civilization” by 8 p.m. ET, we also glimpsed the dark side of the moon for the first time in human history. Let’s start with the good news. The voyage to the moon came thanks to Yankee ingenuity, teamwork and inventiveness in building a rocket for four astronauts to take the trip of 250,000 miles. Thank you, Houston, no problem. You showed what America can do, and it sure ...

Betrayal

Letters to the editor

Frank Wilson Montgomery The Democratic Party is betraying the American people and the United States, just like Judas betrayed Jesus.