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HINTS FROM HELOISE: Never run your dryer unattended

Lifestyles

DEAR HELOISE: I just read a letter from a Massachusetts reader that contained some unfortunate phrasing. It stated that a vent with a lint clog caused the fire — not leaving the house with the dryer running. A fire requires three key factors: heat, oxygen and fuel. While the lint clog may have well been what caught fire, this happened because the dryer was left running, which caused the lint to heat up to its combustion point. After 27 years as a firefighter and another 11 years with our state fire marshal’s office, I’ve seen dryer fires that caused significant property damage. ...

TO YOUR GOOD HEALTH: Major heart devices differ

Lifestyles

DEAR DR. ROACH: What’s the difference between a pacemaker and a defibrillator? — T.S.B. ANSWER: Both are implantable devices to treat electrical problems of the heart. A pacemaker is a much older device; the first implantable pacemaker was made in 1958. The heart has an electrical system, which coordinates the mechanical activity of the heart so that blood is pumped out efficiently. Each cardiac muscle cell has an intrinsic rhythm, but specialized cells in the right atrium normally act as a pacemaker to the heart. They respond to nerve stimulation from the sympathetic and vagus ...

Hazards that compromise senior safety at home

Lifestyles

Homes are supposed to be sanctuaries where people can be comfortable and live independently. However, houses that are completely suitable for younger populations often harbor hidden threats that can compromise senior safety. At Heart Home Care notes aging in place remains a top priority ...

Gipson wows as ‘Lady Day’

Ticket

YOUNGSTOWN — Singing like Billie Holiday may be the least of the challenges that Carla Gipson faces and triumphs over in “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill.” There are plenty of songs in Lanie Robertson’s play, which continues its run at Hopewell Theatre with three performances ...

Bridge by Steve Becker

Lifestyles

Assume you’re in four hearts and West leads a club. The contract looks easy to make, but when you win the club with the king and play a heart to the ace, you get a rude shock when West shows out, discarding a diamond. You switch to a spade at trick three, finessing the jack and losing to ...