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Back to school – and dealing with head lice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

For many families, the start of school is a busy, exciting time of year. For some families, though, returning to school also means unpleasant, unwelcome guests: head lice.An estimated 6-12 million infestations of head lice occur each year in the U.S. among children 3 to 11 years old, predominantly among preschool children in child care settings and children in elementary school, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Members of their households also are at risk.What are head lice?Head lice are tiny insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. Head lice don’t carry bacterial or viral diseases, and having head lice isn’t a sign of poor personal hygiene or an unclean living environment.Head lice crawl, but they can’t jump or fly. They most often affect children and are spread primarily by direct head-to-head contact. The risk of spreading head lice is greatest among children within a family or children who have close contact at school or play...

Asking for modification when divorce appeal is pending

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

Q. My ex and I were never able to reach an agreement in our divorce and we had a trial last year.  He filed a notice of appeal. The appeal process seems to take a while and the lawyers have not even filed their briefs.Since the divorce, my ex has refused to cooperate with the recommendations of our child’s doctors and will not agree to put her on anti-anxiety medication.  Her anxiety is really bad and I am very concerned about her transition to middle school in two weeks.  Our divorce judgment says we have joint legal custody so I cannot agree to the treatment unless he also agrees.  Further, I was working a lot of overtime during the divorce trial on a long-term project.  Now that overtime is gone my income is significantly lower than it was at the time of trial.  I have had to take unpaid time off to care for our daughter when she has panic attacks.My lawyer said I can’t modify my divorce until the appeal is done.  This just doesn’t seem right.  Is there any way to get around this...

American workers want almost $79,000 to start new job

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

The wage floor for American workers climbed to a record high close to $79,000, according to a Federal Reserve Bank of New York survey released last week  that also found pay demands among women are rising twice as fast as for men.The average reservation wage – the lowest annual pay that workers would accept to take a new job – increased to $78,645 in July, according to the New York Fed’s most recent Survey of Consumer Expectations.That’s up from about $72,900 a year earlier and $69,000 in July 2021.Pay expectations among women in the labor force rose 11% in the past year, twice as fast as for men, the survey found. Still, there’s a substantial gender gap when it comes to what’s an acceptable salary. For men the average reservation wage was about $91,000 — and for women it was $25,000 lower than that.Workers with a college degree now expect $98,600 annually to accept a new job, compared with an average $63,300 for those who don’t have one.For comparison, the median U.S. household inc...

Adrian Scarborough’s back for more posh mysteries on ‘The Chelsea Detective’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

The second season of AcornTV’s “The Chelsea Detective” offers an intriguing, behind-the-scenes look at the ways the rich are different in four 90-minute murder mysteries, beginning Monday.Adrian Scarborough returns as Chelsea Detective Inspector Max Arnold, custodian of London’s richest borough. This season Max investigates homicides linked by their affluence, including the wealthiest long-term elderly care facility you could imagine.“It’s a very interesting neighborhood to set a detective series because it’s often seen by Londoners as very well to do,” Scarborough, 55, said in a phone call from London.  “But it does give us the opportunity, for the rest of the world particularly, to show bits of London which are rather marvelous.“You get a cracking view of the Thames, partly because this character lives on a houseboat. That gives you some fantastic views up and down this glorious river that runs through the center of London. And you get some pretty magnificent bridges a...

Creative Alia would like to do theater

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

Alia is a very happy and bubbly young girl. She is sweet, kind, cooperative and helpful. Alia enjoys arts & crafts and dancing. She recently expressed an interest in joining a drama or theatrical production. Those who know Alia best describe her as being creative and eager to learn.Alia actively participates in school. Alia has built positive relationships with her classmates as well as her teachers.A two-parent family is preferred for Alia yet she has voiced being comfortable in a single parent home. Hispanic ethnicity is also preferred. Alia can be placed in a home with or without older children. The ideal family for Alia would be energetic, patient and nurturing. Alia would like to find a family with someone who is able to manage her hair, or is willing to learn! Alia would like to be placed with her brother Raul but understands that this may not be possible. If not, Alia would like a family that is able to support her close relationship with Raul and another brother. Alia al...

‘Lakota Nation Vs. The United States’ a head-on view of history

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

Abraham Lincoln, in the fall of 1862 as the Civil War raged, ordered the hanging of 38 indigenous Native Americans in a bloody conflict known as the Dakota War or the Sioux Uprising.“It remains the largest mass execution in the United States,” said Jesse Short Bull, the co-director with Laura Tomaselli, of the expansive new documentary “Lakota Nation Vs. The United States.”That’s certainly a shocking chapter in this most revered president’s life that was omitted from Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln.”“And that’s why, when you come to South Dakota and you come to a reservation,” Short Bull said, “Lincoln’s not really well thought of.”Adding insult to injury:  Lincoln looms among the four presidents enshrined on the Mount Rushmore monument, which stands in the middle of long-disputed Lakota sacred lands.“Lakota Nation” covers America’s blighted history with the sovereign nation but much more.“This film we made is certainly a documentary — as opposed to an argument &...

After blockbuster summer, here’s what Hollywood has for fall

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

After a spectacular summer with a pair of history-making hits in “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” can Hollywood look to more of the same this fall?Certainly there’s another three-hour candidate in Martin Scorsese-Leonardo DiCaprio’s latest collaboration, “Killers of the Flower Moon.”  This adaptation of David Grann’s bestseller won raves at Cannes with its murderous true story set in America’s 1920s heartland.  In theaters beginning Oct. 6 before streaming globally on Apple TV+.All dates are subject to change.SEPT. 8Denzel Washington returns for the third time as “The Equalizer 3.”And the third time’s the (hoped-for) charm for “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3.”SEPT. 15“Cassandro” stars Gael Garcia Bernal as El Paso’s flamboyant gay wrestler, “The Liberace of Lucha Libre.” A true story.SEPT. 22“Stop Making Sense,” a 40th anniversary re-release of Jonathan Demme’s acclaimed Talking Heads concert film, hailed as the greatest of its kind.“Expend4bles” The fourth outing for the larger than l...

More than one way to fix dog’s hematoma

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

Dear Dr. John,About a year ago, I lost my Pitbull that I had for many years. He developed a swollen ear (hematoma). It was drained a few times without much success until I found a vet who suggested surgery to fix the problem. It worked! Why didn’t the other vets do the same? Recently, I adopted a young male Pitbull who is an absolute love. Just by chance, he recently developed a swelling of the left ear reminiscent of what my old dog had. It was smaller than what I experienced with my other dog and since it was the weekend, I took him in to a large emergency hospital. I think they drained a small amount of fluid and then sent me home with a steroid, and antibiotic, and some pain meds to calm him down. It seems to be healing but what is the right way to address this kind of problem? B.T.Dear B.T.,The condition that your dogs had is what is known as aural hematomas. They arise often from shaking their heads a lot secondary to an ear infection. By shaking their heads, the flaps of thei...

What to watch: ‘Archer’ wraps up a 14-year run

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

Here’s what to tune into this week:“Archer”This James Bond spoof has managed to stay fresh by reinventing itself from time to time. One season even took place in 1938 French Polynesia. But for the 14th and final season, creator Adam Reed is going back to the beginning. The first four episodes find super-spy/super-jerk Sterling Archer (H. Jon Benjamin) falling for new team member Zara Khan (Natalie Dew), much in the same way he did for agent Lana Kane (Aisha Tyler), who is now too busy running the agency to deal with his shenanigans. This isn’t the most ambitious way to say goodbye, but longtime fans will appreciate the familiar tone and nods to the past. 10 p.m. ET Wednesday, FXX; Hulu the next day“Once Upon a Time in Northern Ireland”There may be more thorough history lessons on “The Troubles,” but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more emotional one. These five hours, premiering over three consecutive nights, consist largely of c...

Reduce the risk of children picking up viral infections

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:27 GMT

It’s back to school for many kids around the nation. And once they hit the classroom, you may notice more runny noses and other symptoms associated with viral and bacterial infections.Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases physician with the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center, says you might not be able to stop some of these illnesses, but reducing viral infection risks is possible.Kids returning to school at the end of summer often coincides with the start of the respiratory virus season.“You’ve got kids from lots of different households who are now coming together in a relatively confined space of a classroom,” says Dr. Rajapakse.And sharing more than their lunches. They are sharing viruses they’ve been exposed to at home. Dr. Rajapakse says some childhood illnesses are inevitable, but there are things families can do to reduce risks.“Making sure that your child’s vaccines are up to date before they return to school is gre...