Dear Doctors: I heard there's finally a good answer for why people get more colds in winter than in the summer.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My son is being bullied, and I feel powerless to help him. It brings back painful memories of when I was a kid and how much worse things got for me when my parents got involved. I fear that the same thing will happen if I try to intervene. Should I talk to my son's school or just hope he is strong enough to cope on his own?
DEAR HARRIETTE: I heard from an old friend from college the other day. I have not talked to him in about 30 years. He reached out to me on social media, asking me for help. It was a bit weird hearing from him, but I would never want to leave somebody stranded. It got awkward, though. He was direct messaging me and asking me to send him money.
From my perspective – speaking only for myself, and not as a member of my race, gender or ethnic origin – Washington Post columnist Karen Attiah had it exactly right about the national media’s ritual display of an “endless stream of videos of Black people, usually men, being brutalized by police.”
How you store your dry pet food is almost as important as what you feed your cat or dog. Be sure to keep your pet's food in the original bag, since those bags are designed to keep the food as fresh as possible. Limit exposure of pet food to air and humidity, as they can speed up the degradation process. You should never give your pet expired food, even if there's only a little bit left -- those last remnants can harbor harmful bacteria. Finally, don't mix old food with new, since adding old food can contaminate the new food.
You can go to sleep for a year, maybe more. Or cancel your newspaper subscriptions. You may as well terminate your cable service – unless, of course, you want to binge on college basketball. And as for social media blasts, you can live without them.
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DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a friend who is a know-it-all. As we are talking and catching up, she regularly interrupts me to explain that she knows whatever the subject is already and gives an example. Rarely do I get a whole sentence out before she jumps in to put her personal stamp all over it. This is irritating, to say the least. I know she is smart and busy in her life. She has had tons of experiences. I don't understand why she feels she needs to negate mine or not even give me space to talk. How can I get her to make room for me? — My Turn DEAR MY TURN: You are going to have to speak up and jump right back into the conversation. When your friend interrupts you with a story, stop her. Literally. Interrupt her back and say that you were trying to tell her something or make a point. Ask her to wait to tell her story until after you have shared your own. If she pushes back and says some version of 'I just have this one little thing to say that's related to what you just mentioned,' stop her and say, 'That's fine. Let me tell you my story, and you can share yours after.' If she still won't shut up, confront her. Tell her you are tired of being talked over by her. You have had enough. You see that she thrives on a oneway conversation. You do not. Ask her to listen better. If, over time, she won't try to be more inclusive of you in your conversations, stop talking to her.
Twitter and Facebook acted correctly in restoring Donald Trump’s right to use their platforms. He has not done so yet, mainly because he has contractual obligations to employ Truth Social, the third-rate outlet he created after his exile. But both Twitter and Facebook have been critical weapons in his political arsenal, and they should be available to him again as he seeks another term in the White House.
My husband, Peter, does not believe in Valentine's Day. I mean, he knows it is a thing. It's just a thing he prefers to ignore.