Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. It has been a busy few weeks in our mailboxes, so we’ll dive right in.
In 1859, British, French and German engineers began construction on the Suez Canal in Egypt.
DEAR HARRIETTE: My sister won’t answer my calls or call me back, and I have no idea what I did wrong. She has never been great at communicating, but now she has gone radio silent.
Only after you’ve had a day like yesterday do you really know you married the right person.
After two terms in the United States Senate, Gary Peters is calling it quits. “I will say, over these last few years, it gets harder every single year,” the Michigan Democrat told CNN. “The middle is disappearing.”
DEAR HARRIETTE: A close friend of mine likes to play the role of cupid. Her interest in other people’s love lives might be well-meaning, but for me it feels invasive. I’m generally a bit reserved about my love life, but my friends know about a certain someone I am interested in. There has been some subtle flirting, and so far, I like the slow burn. The last time we were all together, my friend took it upon herself to tell my crush that I’m shy and I just need a push in the right direction. I was peeved and uncomfortable for the rest of that night, while she was quite proud of herself. I thought it was immature, and that’s not how I want to be perceived by anyone, let alone someone I might get involved with. Since then, he has asked if just the two of us could do something, and I told him I’d let him know. I still like him, but I feel so embarrassed and self-conscious now. Am I overreacting? – Unsolicited Help DEAR UNSOLICITED HELP: Look past your pushy friend for a moment at the opportunity before you. The guy you like has asked you out. Go for it. He may be like you, a bit shy and needing a push to make a move. While your friend should mind her own business, she may have done you a favor by generating a reaction. Don’t allow your anger at her to cloud your vision.
Dear Doctors: I am going to have a major abdominal surgery. My doctor says it is likely that I will be needing strong pain medications after. My question is about opioids: How long can you take them and not get addicted? What is the best way to stop so you don’t have side effects?
CLINTON’S HISTORY 10, 20, 30 AND 40 YEARS AGO
In 1943, an uprising began in the Warsaw ghetto in German-occupied Poland.
DEAR READERS: I haven’t done this before – run a whole day of your responses to a single letter – but I’m doing so now because you got so fired up I want you to see how you reacted to the situation. Here’s what a few of you had to say about “No More Babies,” the woman with five children whose husband wanted her to have a tubal ligation.