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HINTS FROM HELOISE: How to keep your lettuce fresh longer

DEAR HELOISE: After wasting too many bags of wilted lettuce, I finally found a simple way to keep it fresh for much longer. I now place a dry paper towel inside the container or bag as soon as I open it, then store the container or bag in the refrigerator. The towel absorbs excess moisture, which usually causes the leaves to spoil quickly. I check the towel every few days and replace it when it feels damp. Since I started doing this, my lettuce stays crisp for nearly twice as long. I also use this method for spinach and kale, and it works just as well. This easy step helps me cut down ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Birdshot eye malady is treated very easily

DEAR DR. ROACH: My niece was diagnosed with birdshot chorioretinopathy. Can you please explain what this is, which treatments are involved, and what the typical prognoses are? — P.Z. ANSWER: Birdshot chorioretinopathy is an inflammatory condition of the choroid and retina (the very back of the eye). The average age of diagnosis is 53. This disease is an autoimmune disease that is strongly associated with genetics. Nearly everyone with this disease has the same human lymphocyte antigen group (HLA-A29), even though only 7% of people have this antigen present in their T cells. The ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

The two-way finesse is usually associated with a missing queen, but sometimes declarer finds himself faced with guessing which opponent has a crucial jack or ten. If the North-South diamonds in today’s hand are examined, it can be seen that declarer must lose tricks to the missing ace and ...

75% of plant species need pollinators

Pollination, the movement of pollen from the anther (male) of one flower to the pistil (female) of another flower is essential for the continuation of a plant species. Attracting our pollinators, bees, birds and butterflies to our garden is not difficult, yet a decline in their population ...

Why oaks are so important

The Roman arch was held together and anchored by a wedge-shaped stone in the center of it. This stone added stability to every stone that made up the arch, and thus this term is synonymous with this stability, the keystone. A keystone species in nature has “a disproportionately large ...