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Today in History

Today is Monday, May 12, the 132nd day of 2025. There are 233 days left in the year. Today in history: On May 12, 2008, a devastating 7.9 magnitude earthquake in China’s Sichuan province left more than 87,000 people dead or missing. Also on this date: In 1780, the besieged city of Charleston, South Carolina, surrendered to British forces in one of the worst American defeats of the Revolutionary War. In 1846, the pioneers of the Donner Party left Independence, Missouri, on the Oregon Trail, beginning their ill-fated attempt to migrate to California. In 1932, the body of ...

Grandparenting without rivalry

Dear Annie: I’m a mom to a wonderful adult daughter, and we’ve always had a close bond. We live in the same neighborhood, and our grandkids can walk over to our house anytime. We spend a lot of time together as a family, and I cherish being a regular part of their lives. My daughter’s mother-in-law used to live out of state and only visited a handful of times a year. When we were all at the same gatherings, my husband and I would intentionally leave after a reasonable time so she could enjoy being a grandma, too. Now that she’s moved back in-state, she’s around more often, ...

Learning options for dealing with kidney stones

DEAR DR. ROACH: I just found out that I have a kidney stone. I’m 77 years old, and I don’t want to deal with it. I’ve heard of potassium citrate and pulverizing it with sound waves. Are these options? –– J.M. ANSWER: When a person gets a kidney stone, the goals are to manage any symptoms, determine if a person’s health is at risk (especially from infection or kidney damage), and decide which treatment might be necessary to prevent any new stones. Extracorporeal sound wave lithotripsy is one way of removing symptomatic stones, as is ureteroscopy with laser lithotripsy. The ...

Preserving bean sprouts in the refrigerator

Dear Heloise: How many times have you bought bean sprouts that went bad in a day or so? My local supermarket says they stopped carrying them because they go bad on the shelf, even though they are in airtight packaging. I love bean sprouts in my scrambled eggs, so I like to have enough for three or four breakfasts. I can get bean sprouts at an Asian market or even the local farmer’s market for a couple of dollars for a large bag. But what has allowed me to keep them fresh is advice that I got from the farmer at the market: Put the bean sprouts in a bowl of water and put them in the ...

Studies show Chimpanzees drum on tree trunks with regular rhythm

Chimpanzees drum with regular rhythm when they beat on tree trunks, a new study shows. Chimpanzees and humans last shared a common ancestor around 6 million years ago. Scientists suspect this ancient ancestor must have been a drummer — using beats to communicate. “Our ability to produce rhythm — and to use it in our social worlds — that seems to be something that predates humans being human,” said study co-author Cat Hobaiter, a University of St Andrews primatologist. Previous research has shown that chimps have their own signature drumming style. A new analysis of 371 ...

Dana Perino’s book on mentoring is must read

Dana Perino has a superpower. It is a special gift that has nothing to do with her position as a Fox News anchor or her former role as press secretary for former President George W. Bush. Instead, it has everything to do with her ability to guide young people as they navigate the minefields of their professional and personal lives. In short, Perino is a mentor. The Colorado native said the role is more than a calling; it’s a vocation, something Perino realized about herself when writing her new book, “I Wish Someone Had Told Me ...: The Best Advice for Building a Great Career and a ...