More than 30 million Americans have lost their jobs so far this year. The COVID-19 virus is still a threat and the economy will take time to recover. Things may seem scary or bleak right now, but members of the OSCPA have tips to help you minimize the financial damage and prepare for a new position and opportunities.

Harriette Cole

DEAR HARRIETTE: Working from home for all these weeks makes me realize how reliant I had become on service providers like hairdressers and nail technicians. I know that sounds unimportant, given the circumstances, but in my work, I am on Zoom calls every day, all day long. My co-workers can see me, and I am looking a little rough around the edges. I don’t really know how to do my hair. And my nails are busted. I tried to redo them, but I have acrylics, and they kind of crumbled. I am what my kids would call a “hot mess.” How can I get it together when I really don’t have the grooming skills that I need? — Unkempt

Teenager is angry about parent’s strictness

DEAR HARRIETTE: My teenage daughter keeps asking to go out and hang with her friends. I have been strict, requiring her to stay at home with me each day during our stay-at-home order. I have followed the guidelines to the letter. But one of her best friends goes out with another friend almost every day. They visit each other’s homes. They take walks. And they end up having a lot of fun. We do not live near them, and I don’t think that’s a good idea anyway, but my daughter is furious that I am so strict. What do you think about my rules? — Limitations

Dear Doctor: I was recently diagnosed with chondrocalcinosis, which is quite painful. I know it’s similar to gout, though it is due to calcium crystals rather than urea. What treatments can help with pain? I don’t want to have a second knee replacement.

We remember going to Nance Elementary School during the Cold War in the 1960s and doing mandatory air raid drills so we could be prepared if the Soviet Union launched a nuclear attack on the United States.

Undermining the American political system

President Trump is conducting a concerted and calculated campaign to undermine every institution in the American political system that can hold him and his political allies accountable for their actions. His list of targets is long: judges and journalists, intelligence analysts and inspectors general, career prosecutors and diplomats, the director of the FBI and the chair of the Federal Reserve.

Sessions defends himself, but stays loyal to Trump

It hasn't been in the news much, but former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, now in a tight Republican primary to win back his old Alabama Senate seat, has been talking a lot about his time in the Justice Department and the issue that made him a persona non grata in Trumpworld: his March 2017 decision to recuse himself from supervising the Trump-Russia investigation.

Dr. Eve Glazier

Dear Doctor: A close relative had extensive radiation therapy for an early breast cancer. The treatment was effective, but it damaged the surrounding tissues, including her aortic valve. What are the potential side effects of radiation therapy?

Harriette Cole

DEAR HARRIETTE: I am friends with a few social media influencers. They are my real friends, but random people I know will call me to try to get in touch with them. They want a hookup for a public appearance or an album or whatever. I do not feel comfortable connecting people like that, for the most part. When it makes sense, I will introduce people, but I’m tired of always being asked. How can I put my foot down on this? These are my genuine friends. I don’t want them to think that I am “pimping” them off to my contacts. — Drawing the Line

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