SUNNYVALE, California — Hundreds of years ago, Yemen helped introduce the world to coffee. Lately, the mountainous, war-ravaged country that borders Saudi Arabia and Oman is exporting something else: its coffee culture. Yemeni coffeehouses are opening at a rapid pace across the U.S. The ...
Yesterday was a nice sunny day to wash laundry. It was windy, but with the sun it made the towels dry soft and fluffy. I have two big bags of laundry that I brought home from sister Verena's house that I want to wash this week sometime. We had rain and thunderstorms during the night. Nothing ...
DEAR ANNIE: I have had a close friend for 44 years. We have been through marriages, children, illnesses, holidays, losses and all the ordinary ups and downs that come with a friendship that lasts nearly half a century. That is why something very small has hurt me more than I expected. Recently, I was very ill for three weeks with vomiting, then bronchitis, and I ended up in the hospital over Easter. Because I was still recovering, I asked this longtime friend if she would pick up a box of tea for me. It cost $4. A few days later, we met at bingo, and she brought me the tea. I thought ...
DEAR HELOISE: I subscribe to the print and digital versions of the San Antonio Express-News. While I sincerely like being able to access the digital edition when I travel, I see two main drawbacks to it: First, I do almost all of the daily puzzles, and printing them out is a hassle — and frankly quite difficult to do when I’m on the road. I do recognize that I can’t access my home print edition from the road at all, but buying a local paper at a corner store is nearly impossible anymore. I’d be very happy if the paper made their puzzles interactive so that I wouldn’t have to ...
DEAR DR. ROACH: My primary care physician scheduled me for a cardio stress test and ultrasonography with intravenous “microsphere” imaging. I’m slightly concerned about the term “microsphere.” Is this a safe procedure? Are there any complications stemming from this chemical/procedure? Should I be concerned about a stroke? How long do these microspheres stay in the body? Do they become a part of plaque? Are there other safer imaging methods? — K.O.S. ANSWER: Intravenous microbubble contrast agents are made from compressed gas that is contained in a phospholipid or ...
Assume you’re East and partner leads a heart against three notrump. You take the ace and realize that a heart return would be pointless, since it is impossible for partner to have a holding where a heart return would be beneficial. Your best chance, therefore, is to shift to your own suit, ...
