Breaking News

Good Advice

Dear Annie

Dear Annie: I’ve been married for over 20 years, and my husband has always handled our finances. I trusted him to take care of everything, but recently, I’ve started to feel uneasy. When I ask about our savings, bills or retirement plans, he either brushes me off or gives vague answers. I don’t know if he’s hiding something or if he just doesn’t think I need to know. I don’t want to accuse him of anything, but I also don’t want to be in the dark about our financial situation. What if something happens to him? How do I bring this up without starting a fight or making him ...

Tenderness develops in man’s breast

DEAR DR. ROACH: I am an 88-year-old male who has been taking tamsulosin twice daily for several years because of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). In October 2023, my urologist added finasteride once daily. One year later, in October 2024, I developed extreme tenderness on my left breast that wrapped around my left side. I had a routine visit with my cardiologist who told me it was a side effect of finasteride. The cardiologist told me to stop taking it immediately and advise my urologist about my decision. I advised his nurse, who advised him, but I heard nothing further from ...

Dear Annie

Dear Annie: I’ve always been the person who people turn to for support — friends, family, even co-workers come to me when they need advice or a shoulder to lean on. And while I genuinely love helping others, I’m starting to realize I don’t have anyone I can turn to when I need the same kind of support. I’m not sure if it’s because I’ve built this “strong one” persona or if people just assume I don’t need help. Either way, it’s lonely, and I don’t know how to break the cycle. How do I let people know I need support, too, without feeling like I’m shattering ...

To Your Good Health

DEAR DR. ROACH: What happened to Darvon? It wasn’t addicting and didn’t cost much, and I never heard any reason why it was withdrawn except that “it didn’t work.” It sure worked for me, and when they took it away, I ended up on Oxycontin because everything else that wasn’t more dangerous made me vomit! I have fibromyalgia. After I had my daughter, I could no longer lift weights or do cardio as I had before. I know I could get off of Oxycontin if I had Darvon. — K.T. ANSWER: Propoxyphene (Darvon) is a pain reliever of the opiate class that is structurally related to ...

The Kovels – Antiques and collecting

A kilim is a type of rug that originated in Asia, falling into the broad category of Oriental rugs. The earliest known examples were found in China, and the most famous come from western Asia. Unlike pile-woven rugs, which have a thick, tufted texture made from thousands of knotted threads, kilims are flat woven, tapestry style, typically from wool. Their designs are usually geometric and often symbolic. Oriental rugs were introduced to western Europe and America by the 18th century. Thanks to the quality of the weaving and beauty of the designs, they quickly became fashionable luxury ...

Dear Annie

Dear Annie: My daughter took in some kittens that a mama cat delivered on her property. She was very selective about who she would give them to and wound up only finding a home for one of them. She decided to keep two of the kittens, along with her existing two cats, which left three without homes. She kept them for seven months and then decided to release them into the wild at the beginning of cold weather. These kittens had been raised as house cats and were suddenly put out in the cold to fend for themselves. My daughter goes to church and proclaims to be a Christian, but I love ...