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Getting COVID booster before cruise is prudent

DEAR DR. ROACH: My husband and I will be traveling to the United Kingdom in July and will be on a ship with about 700 passengers. We are wondering whether it would be smart (or unnecessary) to get a COVID booster before the trip. We are both in our late 60s and have had all of the available COVID shots. (The last one we received was on Oct. 10, 2024.) I have mild asthma, and we both have BMIs of about 30 with no other health issues. There is so much information and misinformation on these vaccinations, so I would appreciate your educated opinion. –– O.W.I. ANSWER: In my opinion, ...

Keeping lampshades dust-free with a paintbrush

Dear Heloise: Not too long ago, you suggested using a small paintbrush to dust lampshades. The best thing to use to dust a smooth lampshade is not a lint roller but rather a hand vacuum. A paintbrush will make the dust fly into the air, and it will eventually land on the floor. A lint roller does an OK job, but hand vacuums suck up the dirt and can be taken to a trash bin and emptied out. I occasionally like to take the attachment on my rug shampooer to (very lightly) give my smooth lampshades a once-over, and it’s made such a difference in keeping my shades clean! –– Tammy, in ...

Today in History

Today is Monday, June 16, the 167th day of 2025. There are 198 days left in the year. Today in history: On June 16, 1963, the world’s first female space traveler, Valentina Tereshkova, 26, was launched into orbit by the Soviet Union aboard Vostok 6. Tereshkova spent 71 hours in flight, circling the Earth 48 times before returning safely. Also on this date: In 1858, accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination for the U.S. Senate, Abraham Lincoln said the issue of slavery in the United States had to be resolved, declaring, “a house divided against itself cannot ...

Horoscope

ARIES (March 21-April 19). If someone only pays attention when they want something from you, this describes a dynamic of opportunism. Hold out for those who truly reciprocate energy and invest in you as a whole person. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). Today’s experiences will deepen your empathy, humble you and help you return to yourself. What’s uncomfortable is also clarifying. Illusions will be stripped away, helping you see where things are out of alignment. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). You’ll meet life and people with openness. You’ll accept things you don’t yet understand, ...

Amazon to spend $20B on data centers in Pa.

HARRISBURG (AP) — Amazon said Monday that it will spend $20 billion on two data center complexes in Pennsylvania, including one it is building alongside a nuclear power plant that has drawn federal scrutiny over an arrangement to essentially plug right into the power plant. Kevin Miller, vice president of global data centers at Amazon’s cloud computing subsidiary, Amazon Web Services, told The Associated Press that the company will build another data center complex just north of Philadelphia. One data center is being built next to northeastern Pennsylvania’s Susquehanna nuclear ...

Family means showing up

Dear Annie: My husband and I have been married for nearly 39 years. He has always had a tendency to put himself first –– even before our sons, and now even our toddler grandson –– but I’m at my wits’ end over his latest act of selfishness. His only sister recently suffered a traumatic fall. She was airlifted to a trauma center with a fractured skull and brain injury. Thankfully, she’s expected to make a full recovery, but she spent several weeks in a rehab facility and now continues outpatient therapy from home. I’ve been there for her and my brother-in-law from the ...