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Struggling in the office space

Dear Annie: I have some co-workers who irritate me. The work we do is intense and stressful, so I can’t easily mind my own business. This is designed to be a collaborative work environment. And yet, I am usually feeling like a lone ranger. I have brought this up to one of the co-workers in question but was met with little empathy. I’d like to talk to a higher-up — not as a means of snitching but as a means of finding understanding and even advice. But I worry that my talking to a higher-up would get back to the co-workers and make them resent me for going over their heads. ...

Memo to Trump: Trade Bolton for Tulsi

“For too long our leaders have failed us, taking us into one regime change war after the next, leading us into a new Cold War and arms race, costing us trillions of our hard-earned tax payer dollars and countless lives. This insanity must end.” Donald Trump, circa 2016? Nope. That denunciation of John Bolton interventionism came from Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii during Wednesday night’s Democratic debate. At 38, she was the youngest candidate on stage. Gabbard proceeded to rip both the “president and his chickenhawk cabinet (who) have led us to the brink of war ...

Insecurity ruining friendship

Dear Annie: I have a friend who I have known for many years, and suddenly I have noticed that she is getting possessive with me. She just wants to see me alone, and she questions whether or not I’m seeing other friends when I can’t see her at a certain time. She makes comments about how popular I am and makes sarcastic comments about friends liking me better. I know she is insecure, but this subject is difficult to approach with her. She says that’s the way she is, and that’s that. She has friends but seems to depend on me a lot. I’m at my wit’s end. How should I handle ...

Kicking the coffee habit

Dear Annie: I used to drink coffee only now and then, just for enjoyment. But since my job has become more intense and stressful, I’ve found myself needing at least a cup a day to keep me alert and functioning at full capacity. I don’t like that I’m dependent on caffeine now. I notice that when I haven’t had coffee by noon or so, I feel crabby and headachey. So I keep drinking it daily so I can get my work done. Is there some alternative? I want to be able to work without relying upon everyone’s favorite bean. — Caffeine Dependent Dear Caffeine Dependent: If caffeine is the ...

Why won’t US politicians talk about Chinese authoritarianism?

Given the recent fight over whether U.S. refugee detention centers are in fact “concentration camps,” the Trump administration might want to borrow a page from the Chinese and simply call them “vocational skills education training centers.” That way, no one would really care at all. That’s what the Chinese call their gulag archipelago of internment and re-education camps in Xinjiang province, where an estimated million ethnic Uighurs and other Turkic people are being held. The Uighurs are a traditionally Muslim minority, and Beijing says they pose a major threat because of ...

In the absence of Republican courage, more children will die

It is 2:30 in the morning, and I should be sleeping. In a few hours, my 3-year-old grandson will be awake, and we have plans. “You and me, buddy,” I told him at bedtime. “We’re going to play all day long.” He is not why I can’t sleep. Across the hall from this guestroom, his 18-month-old sister sleeps in her crib. Every so often, she calls out softly. I am poised to spring out of bed should she awaken. She is not why I can’t sleep. Just before midnight, I checked my news alerts and saw the photo of Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez with his 23-month-old daughter, ...