Physical intimacy alters friendship

DEAR HARRIETTE: I have been seeing someone casually for a few years. I stopped seeing him when I got into a serious relationship, but when that relationship ended, we began seeing each other casually again. Up until recently, we had never had a physically intimate relationship.

Getting tick out quickly is top priority

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to a bonus letters column. You’ve been keeping our mailboxes even fuller than usual, and we will continue to do our best to keep up.How to safely remove ticks has proven to be a very popular topic. We appreciate the array of approaches that are being shared.

Is busing migrants doing any good?

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's decision to bus migrants to New York City and Washington, D.C., has amplified the desperate need for comprehensive immigration reform. Since April, Abbott has bused more than 7,200 migrants from Texas to President Joe Biden's backyard.

Employee does not accept feedback

DEAR HARRIETTE: One of my employees cannot take constructive criticism or own up to her mistakes at all, no matter how minor. She is a great employee, but every time I attempt to correct her on her mistakes, she gets defensive and argues with me.

DO JUST ONE THING

• According to The New York Times, nearly 1.5 billion pounds of shrimp are consumed every year in the United States.To meet this demand, most shrimp is farmraised in aquaculture farms. So why should you avoid farm-raised shrimp?

Something else to drive teachers away

From the Associated Press Published in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram.Step One when you find yourself in a hole: Stop digging. Some Fort Worth-area school districts need a reminder of this when it comes to teachers.

Our national summer is waning

For most parts of the country, this has been a splendid summer, full of sunshine and sunscreen, the weather a welcome contrast to the political climate.

Friend with memory loss may need support

DEAR HARRIETTE: A friend of mine has been telling me for a while that she is losing her memory. I spent the weekend with her, and now I know what she means. She asked me the same questions over and over again. I would answer them, and a couple of hours later she would ask the same thing.

HBOT helps those with long COVID-19

Dear Doctors: I got COVID-19, which wasn’t too bad. But now I’ve got long COVID. I’m exhausted all the time, my heart races, and I’ve got brain fog. It’s derailing my life. I saw on the news that the method for treating scuba divers with the bends works for long COVID. Is this true?

Be fierce but fair is good advice

Donald Trump’s third try for the White House will pose “a major professional dilemma for American journalism,” writes Marvin Kalb, whose political reporting earned him a cherished place on Richard Nixon’s enemies list.“How will Trump be covered?” Kalb asks in an essay for the Brookings Institution.