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Boyfriend a downer at game nights

Dear Annie: My boyfriend, “Mark,” can be a sore loser, and it’s beginning to ruin game night. Every week, a few of my friends get together to play games — video games, board games, anything that can be played with a big group. Most of the time, I go alone, as these friends were made before Mark and I started dating. However, he gets along really well with everyone when we’re out at parties and events, so he’s always invited to play. Last game night, we played a difficult strategy game that I’ve only played once but a few friends are very proficient at. They play ...

Anti-vaxxers spread a plague of ignorance

An outbreak of measles four years ago at Disneyland focused attention on a growing health menace — the refusal of parents to vaccinate their children. The threat has gone international. The World Health Organization has just named the anti-vaccination movement among the 10 biggest global health crises. Italy is ground zero, thanks to a law pushed by the far-right 5-Star Movement that ended compulsory vaccinations for children in public schools. Matteo Salvini, leader of its coalition partner, the League party, called mandatory vaccinations “useless and in many cases ...

A lying abuser

Dear Annie: Recently, you published a letter from someone whose good friend was being abused by a girlfriend physically, verbally and financially. I agree with your advice to the letter writer to keep in contact with her abused friend. My issue is this: My boyfriend is telling his mother that I am abusing him, and I am not; he is the mean one. I am in the process of getting out of the relationship. We both have lots of ties — homes, two businesses and more. Because of what we have on our shared plate, it is easier to say that I should get out ASAP, but it’s harder to actually do ...

The shutdown and the dismal failure of Trumponomics

One of the least-talked-about consequences of the partial shutdown of the U.S. government — courtesy of Donald "I’m proud to shut down the government" Trump — is its negative effect on the U.S. economy. Federal spending accounts for just over 20 percent of the total economy. When that spigot is turned halfway off, as it is now, demand for goods and services necessarily drops. The result is less investment and slower growth. Right now some 800,000 government employees aren’t collecting paychecks. Nor are hundreds of thousands of government contractors being paid. None of them ...

When coffee becomes an addiction

Dear Annie: Just recently, I started drinking coffee most mornings. I’d say that over the past four months, I’ve had coffee an average of four days a week. In the past month or so, I’ve noticed that I get headaches when I skip coffee for a day. I’m guessing these headaches are a result of my body’s missing the caffeine it’s used to getting. (This is really unfortunate, because I love the taste of coffee. But I guess I could always drink decaf.) Since I noticed these headaches, I’ve started weaning myself off of coffee, but I need something else to get me alert (and keep me ...

Cough up, America

When you receive your paycheck and look at the withholding for federal, state and sometimes city taxes, along with Social Security and Medicare, you probably don’t think you’re underpaying governments and want them to take more. New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio believes that if you have played by what used to be called “the rules” and are making a decent living, taking care of yourself and your family and not relying on government, your taxes should be increased. In his State of the City address (on Jan. 10), de Blasio said, “... brothers and sisters, there’s plenty of ...