Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/11051
Wednesday, May 26, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Mechanic friend messed up car Dear Annie: My father and I co-own a vehicle. I recently had a mechanic friend install some parts for me as payment for babysitting his stepdaughter. After he completed the repair, more problems arose. My father took the car in to the dealer- ship, and it turns out my friend caused hundreds of dollars in damage by not installing the parts correctly. My father says I should bite the bullet and pay for these repairs and learn my lesson about having a friend work on my car. I argue that my friend is a certified and trained mechanic and should be held responsi- ble for the new repairs that need to be done, even though our arrangement was informal. How do I approach my friend and tell him his repair was faulty? Or is my father right? — Car Trouble in Min- nesota Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar the friendship more than the cost of the repairs because that is what it may come down to. Dear Annie: My boyfriend, who has always struggled with mild depression, recently suf- fered a severe trauma that left him with PTSD. Because his parents believe that therapy and medication are for ‘‘crazy peo- ple,’’ he has not received any type of treatment and shows no signs of getting better. I know you often recom- mend nonprofit organizations, and I’m wondering if you could sug- gest some places he could contact for PTSD, stress and/or depression. I think talking to an actual person might be just what he needs, but the numbers would have to be free and anonymous to keep his parents from finding out. We’d both be very grateful for any sug- gestions you have. — Stressed Girl- friend Dear Car Trouble: We are sur- prised that a certified and trained mechanic would do such damage, and he should be informed. Don’t be accusatory. Simply let him know what happened after his repair work, and say you ‘‘thought he should know’’ in case he comes across a similar situation in the future. He should then offer to reimburse you for the repairs you need- ed to make because of his incompe- tence. At the very least, he still owes you for babysitting. But if he does not offer, your choice is to let it go or take him to court. Decide whether you value WASHINGTON (AP) — The governors of three large states are urging fed- eral regulators to let Com- cast Corp. proceed with its plan to buy a control- ling stake in NBC Univer- sal for $13.75 billion. In a letter to the Feder- al Communications Com- mission, Governors David Paterson of New York, Arnold Schwarzenegger of California and Ed Ren- dell of Pennsylvania say that ‘‘the significant bene- fits associated with the creation of this new joint venture far outweigh any potential harms.’’ Comcast, the nation’s largest cable TV compa- ny, is seeking federal approval to buy a 51 per- cent interest in NBC Uni- versal from General Elec- tric Co. The FCC and the Justice Department are expected to approve the Dear Stressed: Here you go: The National Alliance on Mental Illness (nami.org) at 1-800-950-NAMI (1- 800-950-6264); The Anxiety Disorders Assn. of America (adaa.org) at 8730 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring, MD 20910; the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (dbsalliance.org) at 1- 800-826-3632; Abraham Low Self- Help Systems (recovery-inc.org) at 1- 866-221-0302 and The National Cen- ter for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (ptsd.va.gov). We hope one of these excellent organizations will be able to help both of you. Dear Annie: I read the letter from deal with conditions attached. Comcast already owns some cable channels, including E! Entertain- ment and the Golf Chan- nel. The deal would give it control of the NBC and Spanish-language Tele- mundo broadcast net- works, cable channels such as CNBC, Bravo and Oxygen, and the Univer- sal Pictures movie studio and theme parks. The cable company hopes regulators will be persuaded by the gover- nors of three states where Comcast and NBC Uni- versal are large employ- ers. Comcast and NBC Universal have nearly 130,000 employees in 40 states, with the most jobs in New York, California, Pennsylvania and Florida. ‘‘Comcast has made clear that this venture is ‘‘Exhausted Wife,’’ whose husband expects her to pay for her share of their vacations, even though she can’t afford it. I have spent 40 years married to a loving, wealthy woman who makes at least 10 times what I do. For decades, I struggled (and resented) supplying 50 percent of our common expenses. A few years ago, I started contributing only 10 percent of my income and have managed to accumulate a little savings. I feel so much better, and she never once gave me a hard time about it. She said to contribute whatever I could. She never traveled without me simply because I couldn’t afford the trip. I suggest that ‘‘Exhausted’’ hire a cook and a house cleaner and pay them out of their common income so she feels less exploited. If her husband doesn’t want to travel with her, she should go on her own. Maybe she’ll meet someone kinder. — Virginia Reader Dear Virginia: We hope they have a common income she can access. Your wife wants to vacation with you and is sensible enough to understand that the disparity in income means she should pay a higher percentage of the cost. ‘‘Exhausted,’’ unfortunately, does not have a spouse like that. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please e-mail your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie’s Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 5777 W.Century Blvd., Ste. 700, Los Angeles, CA 90045. Schwarzenegger urges FCC to allow Comcast-NBC deal not about cutting jobs, but about growing NBCU’s businesses,’’ the gover- nors wrote. Sterling Ivey, press secretary for Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, said in an e- mail that Crist did not sign the letter because how to rule on the Com- cast-NBC proposal ‘‘is a decision for the FCC to make.’’ Rival subscription video companies fear Comcast will use its con- trol of NBC Universal to push up prices for popular programming or even to withhold it altogether. Small, independent pro- grammers also worry that Comcast could drop com- peting channels or rele- gate them to premium tiers with fewer sub- scribers. And public interest groups are concerned that Comcast will begin charg- ing for content online and that the company will have too much power in markets where it would own both the NBC station and the dominant cable system. But the governors wrote that the deal will help the combined com- pany grow its new-media business to bring con- sumers ‘‘more program- ming choices over more communications tech- nologies.’’ It will also ‘‘help preserve national and local broadcast televi- sion by getting the NBC and Telemundo television networks on a solid foot- ing,’’ the governors wrote. Comcast, which is based in Philadelphia, has ties to the Pennsylvania governor’s office. Com- cast Executive Vice Presi- dent David Cohen served as chief of staff to Ren- dell, then mayor of Philadelphia, from 1992 to 1997. Second opinion for surgery advice DEAR DR. GOTT: I am an active 50-year-old man with chronic shoulder pain. My doctor, a sports-medicine sur- geon, wants to remove the bursa sac and maintains that the sac is not neces- sary. Because I would like to remain active — especially in the gym — I am skeptical. Dr. Peter Gott DEAR READER: A bursa is defined as a small, fluid-filled sac whose pur- pose is to reduce friction between bodily tissues. There are 160 bursae throughout the body, all of which are located in areas of large joints, such as the knees, elbows, hips and shoulders. The main symp- tom of bursitis of the shoulder is severe pain, pri- marily on movement. Causes include arthritis, infection, injury to the site or, most likely in your case, overuse. Symptoms are com- monly treated by resting the affected joint, and with cold packs, anti-inflamma- tory over-the-counter med- ications, heat once any swelling disappears and antibiotic therapy for infection. Some cases don’t respond to simple treatment and require aspi- ration of the bursa fluid. This procedure is com- monly performed in a physician’s office and may be followed by a cortisone injection into the affected area. When inflammation in the subacromial bursa adds to pain experienced, the lubricating sack is often removed by a surgeon in a procedure known as bur- sectomy or debridement. Generally speaking, recov- ery is rapid, because range- of-motion exercises are begun soon after surgery in an attempt to accelerate rehabilitation. Now comes the difficult part. You need to sit down with your specialist and explain that you want to remain physically active. Determine how long you might anticipate the recov- ery period to last and whether there will likely be any unwanted side effects. Your surgeon knows your case and should be able to predict the out- come based on your general health. Ask whether he plans to do arthroscopy, which will be less invasive and require less recuperation rather than make a larger incision, which will take longer to heal. You might also feel more comfortable requesting a second opinion. To provide related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “An Informed Approach to Surgery.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092- 0167. Be sure to mention the title or print an order form off my website at www.AskDrGottMD.com. DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been on your No Flour, No Sugar diet since last July, and so far have lost 40 pounds. I recently found a millet and flax bread. It is made with mil- let flour and brown-rice flour. Is it acceptable on your diet? If not, that’s OK because I don’t crave bread anymore. This is the easi- est diet I have ever been on. DEAR READER: If a product contains flour, then it isn’t acceptable. I recommend sprouted grain or organic sprouted whole grain and seed breads that don’t contain flour. Millet flour is a gluten- free product made from grain. It resembles wheat but is superior in terms of content. A single serving has 15 percent of the RDA of iron, and is high in potassium, magnesium and B vitamins. Brown-rice flour is gluten-free 100 percent ground-rice grain. The “flour” is ground from un- hulled rice kernels and is used as a flour substitute in many recipes. Because of the natural fats and oils in the grain, it has a tendency to turn rancid rather rapid- ly, so small amounts are commonly purchased to avoid spoilage. Paid Political Advertisement