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Editorial: COVID restrictions did more harm than good

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Ronald Reagan famously said, “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.” What an apt summation of the government’s heavy-handed efforts to fight the coronavirus.The Institute of Economic Affairs recently published a book on the effectiveness of pandemic lockdowns. The authors include a professor from Johns Hopkins and professor emeritus from Lund University in Sweden. “The results of our meta-analysis support the conclusion that lockdowns in the spring of 2020 had a negligible effect on COVID-19 mortality,” they wrote. “This result is consistent with the view that voluntary changes in behaviour, such as social distancing, did play an important role in mitigating the pandemic.”They find that the average lockdown in the United States in spring 2020 averted 16,000 deaths. That’s a significant number, but consider the context. In the United States, an average of 38,000 people each year die from the flu. But no one ever sug...

Fresh out of college? Here are the financial tips you need

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

For new college graduates, receiving that first post-degree paycheck can be almost as exciting as getting the diploma itself. But it also presents a challenge: Given the many demands on a young person’s budget, how should those funds be managed?We asked five money experts to share their best personal finance strategies to help this year’s college grads successfully launch their financial lives. Here’s what they said.Find your budgeting styleTo figure out how to allocate your money toward needs, wants and everything else, Erin Lowry, author of the “Broke Millennial Workbook,” says that instead of following the latest budgeting trend on TikTok, it’s helpful to just sit down with a pen and paper. “Write down what your big expenses are,” she says.After accounting for large items like rent, car payments and food, you can then see what nonessentials also fit. “You might want to go out to dinner with friends, build up new work attire or adopt a dog,” Lowry says. Writing out the budget help...

Senior dog’s in good health, except for teeth

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Dear Dr. John,Our 12-year-old  Spaniel X  is in good health according to our vet. Our vet does feel that his teeth need to be addressed. He has a fair amount of tartar and, as you might imagine, his breath is pretty offensive. His gums are very red which we were told suggests that he has gingivitis. To assess whether our dog would be a safe risk for anesthesia to have his teeth cleaned, our vet did a blood panel. What was found was an elevation of something called ALT at a level of 140. Apparently, this has something to do with his liver function and it might influence his tolerance for general anesthesia. Would you proceed with a dental cleaning given the findings? What can be done for the gingivitis since the cleaning probably won’t get rid of that? N.M.Dear N.M.,What does your veterinarian think? ALT is a liver specific enzyme and I have written recent columns about risks associated with various elevations in certain blood values. Depending on the lab values that one uses to be c...

Ex finagles summer vacations in her favor every year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Q. My ex insists each year that I give up my vacation weeks because of the summer camps our children want to attend. I am incredibly sick of not getting any summer vacation time with our kids.  We could not agree on parenting and had a trial.  The judgment requires us to equally pay for summer camp, to agree on camps by March 1 each year and also allows us to each have two weeks of vacation time with our kids.Somehow each year my ex makes her vacation plans and then comes to me with a list of summer camps our kids want to attend which she of course has already discussed with the kids.  She has me agree on the camps and then immediately informs me of her vacation time. I am typically left with two non-consecutive weeks and one child available for each week.  Our kids go to different camps which somehow never fully line up.  Somehow, she always gets two weeks with both kids.  How can I stop her from doing this again next summer while there is still time for me to speak up?A. It sounds...

TV Q & A: When will ‘Dark Winds’ blow in for Season 2?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

You have questions. I have some answers.Q: Will the second season of “Dark Winds” be shown, and on which network?A: The new season will air Sundays on AMC beginning July 30, with early telecasts the preceding Thursday on AMC+. According to the networks, “Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) reunites with Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), his former deputy turned private eye, when their separate cases bring them together in pursuit of the same suspect. They find themselves in the high desert of Navajo Country chasing a killer who’s turned his sights on them to protect a secret that rips open old wounds and challenges Leaphorn’s moral and professional code.”Q: I recall many years ago that there were codes in the TV listings for each program and that number was entered when you wanted to tape — thereby when the code was broadcast, the program taping started. It was almost fail-safe, as I recall. Do you think anything like that could ever be reinstated? It sure would simplify trying to predict when...

Remind daughter that she is loved despite no-show ex

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Q. My ex says he will be here to pick up our daughter for their time together, but he rarely shows. She waits, he doesn’t show up, and she cries herself to sleep. The problem is, sometimes he does come, so I don’t know what to tell her. I would like to change the custody order, so she doesn’t have to go through this, but I’m afraid. He threatens to take her away if I do anything. What is good ex-etiquette?A. I cannot stress the negative impact not showing up to planned visitation has on a child. A child doesn’t realize that mom or dad is the problem. They blame themselves. “If I were a better child, smarter, prettier, whatever, they would love me and show up.” A child sees the no-show behavior as a choice. Mom or dad chooses to not see them. The child’s takeaway is that people, particularly those who tell them they love them, can’t be trusted. This makes it difficult for children to form secure attachments in adulthood.As the custodial parent, you...

Looking for a summer break? Head to these NH ski resorts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

It’s summer, and just like you pack away your ski gear and pull out your summer threads, some of the great New Hampshire ski areas do pretty much the same.Tucked away are the snow cats and snow fences, and the winter white coat is replaced with a blanket of green. What’s more: there’s a ton of great things to do.You can find the perfect escape for whatever ambiance you’re looking for – even all of them at once. Consider these New Hampshire hills for some summer fun that may not involve the ocean, but is just as refreshing and beautiful.Active: You want to run, jump, careen downhill and soar above it all? You’ve got choices. At Cranmore Mountain Resort (https://www.cranmore.com) in the heart of North Conway, you’ll find  all kinds of thrills like a seated zip line ride, mountain coaster, lift-serviced downhill mountain biking (lessons if you’re new), chairlift rides and more. Beginning June 30, they stay open until 8 p.m., meaning you can take in the alpenglow of a ...

Get ready for Boston’s Hip Hop Summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

You were all ready for Hip Hop Summer, then LL Cool J bumped his The F.O.R.C.E Live date at the TD Garden from June 25 to Nov. 19. While you can rock the bells with LL, the Roots, DJ Jazzy Jeff and more this fall, you can also celebrate all 50 years of hip hop all summer long in Boston with classic albums live, dance throwdowns, groundbreaking local acts and more.GZA, June 27, the Sinclair, CambridgeKung fu is so hot right now! (Thank you, Michelle Yeoh.) But Wu-Tang Clan honcho GZA dug deep into samurai, ninja and martial arts culture back in the ’90s. And then, on “Liquid Swords” in 1995, he paired them with metaphysical questions, rages against injustice, an epic vocabulary, and so much more. At the Sinclair, he will do the whole album with the perfect support act, Boston’s STL GLD, kicking off the evening.Michael Franti & Spearhead, June 29, Leader Bank PavilionFranti has been a force in political hip hop since his ’90s band, the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy. But he’s als...

Great mysteries to take to the beach this summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Here’s our summer roundup of mysteries perfect for lazy beach days and afternoons chilling in the backyard.“The Overnights”By Ian K. SmithIf you asked Ashe Cayne, he’d say his two favorite things are Shakespeare and golf. If you ask me, Cayne is one of my favorite fictional PIs. Cayne has swagger, style, striking wit and money to spend. Right before TV sweeps week, Cayne is hired to discover who’s threatening Morgan Shaw, Chicago’s top-rated news anchor. Cayne’s investigation collides with a police shooting of an unarmed Black man. Cayne is Black and an ex-cop. He knows “going after a Chicago cop is nothing short of declaring war.” He doesn’t hesitate. Smith’s dialogue-driven plot races to a breathless end. (Amistad, 368 pages.)“The Big Sugar”By Mary LogueIn her 1880s-set “Sugar,” Logue continues her entertaining chronicle of Irish immigrant Brigid Reardon’s life, one that’s become ...

When job interviews cut into your vacation time

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 09:00:00 GMT

Q. My interviews are taking up a lot of my PTO. They’re eating into my vacation time that I set aside. Should I stop interviewing? But I really need a new job.A. I hear you especially this time of year. I wouldn’t stop interviewing, but I would express your concern to interviewers and ask if it’s possible to accommodate you during lunchtime or first thing in the morning or late in the day. If they’re virtual, of course, it’ll be easier for you but to commute to the interview for a couple of hours and multiple rounds (with potentially multiple companies as well) alongside an upcoming vacation can feel like a Catch-22.You need the new job and you’re making strides toward it. Don’t give up. Keep going! And still hold onto the vacation. Can you go into negative PTO hours and then accrue after the vacation? I would do what you can do to pursue both wholeheartedly.Q. How can I balance everything? Asking for a friend. I’m launching an app and...