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DEAR ANNIE: Know thyself, explore possibilities when feeling alone

DEAR ANNIE: I recently turned 27 and feel as if life is just passing me by. I try many different things to find career opportunities and meet other people but nothing leads to anything, and I am always stuck back at square one. It seems like nobody ever gives me a chance (social and economic). Is there a way to move on in life without sacrificing your identity? Right now, I’m terribly alone. Outside of a few family members, I have no social life, no love life and no career opportunities. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could just have one of those pillars. I’m stuck in a small town ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Toothbrush heads can be tricky

DEAR HELOISE: Regarding the person who complained about their toothbrush only vibrating instead of spinning, the fault isn’t with the toothbrush. I had the same thing happen to me, and I have a very well-known brand of toothbrush. The problem is with the brush head. I changed mine, and it works fine now. — Jan P., via email DEAR HELOISE: Your column about fake electric toothbrush heads got my attention. My toothbrush stopped spinning months ago, so after reading your column, I thought I must have a fake brush head. I ordered new heads, but the brush still didn’t spin. I read ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Treating depression resulting from grief

DEAR DR. ROACH: My sister died about a month ago. We were very close, and I was with her when she died of a brief but serious illness. The day after, I felt completely unbalanced. I had brain fog and nausea, which comes and goes, as well as extreme exhaustion and tinnitus. I saw my general physician and asked for a full blood test, which came back normal. She said that all signs pointed to grief and stress from a traumatic event. I then went to my doctor of otology, who did a full ear exam and concurred with my physician. I’ve had many people who’ve passed away in my life, ...

Becker on bridge

The expert’s chief stock in trade is his ability to reason well. His logic is seldom the deep sort, but the kind of logic that can be more accurately described as plain common sense. Consider this deal where it would be easy to go wrong. West leads the jack of hearts, covered by the Q-K-A. ...

US school vaccination rates inch down yet again

NEW YORK — U.S. kindergarten vaccination rates inched down again last year and the share of children with exemptions rose to an all-time high, according to federal data posted Monday. The fraction of kids exempted from vaccine requirements rose to 4.2%, up from 3.6% the year before. That's ...