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DEAR ANNIE: Sometimes friendships do run their courses

Lifestyles

DEAR ANNIE: I’ve been friends with “Jessie” for several years, but lately, I’ve been feeling like the friendship is one-sided. I’m always the one reaching out, making plans and putting in the effort. Jessie has been responding to my texts with one-word answers, if at all. I value our friendship a lot, but I’m starting to question whether she feels the same way. How can I address this issue without seeming needy? Should I confront her or let it go and just hope it changes back to what it was like before? Any guidance would be appreciated. — Friendship on Uneven ...

HINTS FROM HELOISE: Patience is a virtue to avoid spam

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: I make calls for work concerning client requests, and some numbers now have an app that screens all calls. This starts after waiting for the voicemail. You have to give a name, a reason for the call or a phone number, then wait some more while a list is checked. Then, if you’re on the list, it goes to voicemail. None of this is efficient, as it wastes my time and also ties up your phone. The person can see who’s calling, and they don’t have to answer. Not all calls are spam. This isn’t respectful to people you’ve given your number to. — Ann, via email Ann, ...

PEOPLE'S PHARMACY: The confusing history of hormone replacement therapy

Lifestyles

Women contemplating hormone replacement therapy to ease hot flashes, night sweats and other miseries of menopause might be feeling confused. Controversy has followed Premarin, one of the dominant brands of replacement estrogen, throughout its history of more than 80 years. Few drugs have lasted as long or seen such extreme swings in popularity. The conjugated estrogens in Premarin are made from pregnant mares’ urine. We suspect that is the origin of the brand name. Premarin grew in popularity from the post-war years through the 1960s (when “Feminine Forever” was a bestselling ...

Hints from Heloise: Keep neck tie intact

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: I’ve enjoyed and learned from your column for years. If you’re like me, tying a neck tie can be frustrating. When I get a tie with a knot that has the style and length I like, I’ll take it off by loosening it just enough to get it off my neck and over my head. Then I hang it up intact on a tie rack that I have on the wall. So, the next time I want to use it, it’s already tied and ready for me to put on. — Mike D., in Indiana DEAR HELOISE: Most cars come with two key fobs, and the key fobs have a button to set off an alarm on your car. As single woman living ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Lifestyles

The signal is probably the single most valuable weapon available to the defense, but, like any other weapon, there is a proper time and place for its use. Take this case where a signal proved useless, partly because of a good play by declarer and partly because one defender could not obey the ...