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HINTS FROM HELOISE: Prying open bottles of nail polish

DEAR HELOISE: To open a bottle of nail polish that’s stuck, place a cup of water in the microwave for 1 minute. Then remove the cup from the microwave and place the bottle inside of the cup. Wait about a minute and remove. Presto! —Marty R., via email DEAR HELOISE: We wear shirts made of T-shirt material every day in our family. Yet, after a short while, they end up with tiny holes in the stomach area. Male or female, belt or no belt, it doesn’t matter; these tiny holes suddenly appear. Any idea where they come from? — Monica T., via email Monica, the tiny holes are ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Helping those who fake illness is difficult

DEAR DR. ROACH: Could you address Munchausen syndrome and how to treat a person who might have it? What causes the constant talk about real or imagined illnesses, and is there a treatment for it? —- Anonymous ANSWER: Factitious disorder, sometimes called Munchausen syndrome after the 18th century German nobleman Baron Karl Friedrich Hieronymus von Munchhausen, who was famous for exaggerated stories that were published in English in 1785 and defied belief. The term “Munchausen syndrome” was coined in 1951 to describe people who intentionally fake or induce medical symptoms. ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Precisely when to win a trick is a problem that often determines the outcome of a hand. The holdup play, so often utilized in notrump contracts, might defeat its purpose unless it is applied at exactly the right time and place. Take this case where West leads the king of hearts against three notrump. If South wins with the ace, he sooner or later goes down one. Whenever he gets around to the diamond finesse, East takes the king and returns a heart, and declarer finishes a trick short of his goal. South should realize that there can be no advantage — and that there might be a ...

DEAR ANNIE: Missing the magic of family Christmases

DEAR ANNIE: My husband and I are in our 70s, and although our adult children live nearby, they rarely visit us. It is always considered “more convenient” for us to go to them. For years, I decorated our home from top to bottom for Christmas. I loved the tree, the lights and the feeling that I was creating something special for our family. But now I find myself wondering why I bother. On Christmas Eve, we may see one of our children’s families for three hours. Half the time, the adults fall asleep on the couch. Then they are well rested and ready to celebrate with the other ...

How to deal with Japanese beetles

They’re almost here! We generally see destructive Japanese beetles around the Fourth of July. A better way to know the time of their arrival is by using the OSU Growing Degree Days Site at https://go.osu.edu/growingdegreeday. This site helps you know when they are about to emerge. Why ...