Here we go again. What we have here is a classic moral panic, a repeating theme in American public life. Remember the McMartin preschool trial in Los Angeles back in the 1980s? Bizarre allegations of satanic sexual abuse were made against a family-run day care center in Manhattan Beach.
Here's a simple way to reuse old pillowcases: Store your sweaters inside them! The cases will allow the sweaters to breathe while protecting them from the elements and dust. You also can protect clothing that you hang, like jackets and shirts, with old pillowcases. Simply cut a hole in the middle of the closed side and drape it over the hanger to cover and protect your garment. Your local thrift store is a great place to find pillowcases if you want to protect a whole closet's worth of clothing.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I am probably what is called a high-functioning alcoholic. I drink a lot — both with others and on my own. I do my job well, and I handle my business. Sometimes I am groggy during the day if I drank too much the night before, but mostly I manage just fine.
In 1790, President George Washington signed the first U.S. copyright law.
PITTSBURGH — Listen up.
Dear Doctors: I am baffled that what used to be a thorough and comprehensive physical exam is now just a few questions, taking some vital signs and a few blood tests. No checking your eyes, throat, glands or reflexes. No breast exam. Why has this changed? What constitutes a complete physical these days?
DEAR HARRIETTE: I tend to miss out on messages that people send me on Facebook because I rarely log in.
For a generation, lawmakers have periodically engaged in a ridiculous — and very risky — charade of threatening to default on the nation's debts. And here we are again, with a cadre of hard-right House Republicans holding our economic health and international reputation hostage.
My new friend, Betty Lou, started a book club, and she asked me to join. I was delighted. I hadn't been in a book club for a long time. Because she is a librarian, Betty Lou knows better than most the importance of reading a variety of things and so, at the very first meeting, we read a graphic novel.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I have a nephew who is getting married, and he is so happy. He came to me recently to ask for wisdom about marriage, and I fumbled and eventually told him I would think about it and get back to him. I have been married for a long time — more than 20 years — but if I am honest, I cannot say that it is a happy marriage. Sure, we have good times, but we argue a lot and pretty fiercely. I didn't want to talk about that stuff, but I really am at a loss for words. I think the main reason we are still together is that we never left each other. We fight, then we keep moving. So far, nothing has been so bad that either of us has walked away. That doesn't sound romantic at all. What do I say to someone who is about to start a life with his wife? — The Secret DEAR THE SECRET: Tell your nephew your truth. Admit that it isn't always easy to be married because you and your spouse argue a lot. Share that you don't always agree on things, which can ignite an argument. But, in the end, you two seem to accept each other for who you are. That has been your secret to staying together. You might add anything that you wish for him in his marriage that includes what you wish for yourself — for example, more listening and less arguing.