Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/114119
2B Daily News – Friday, March 8, 2013 FEATURES Teens threaten marriage tension in the Dear Annie: past, I don't Two years ago, I deserve to be married my best spoken to that friend. I've been way and said so. with her for 10 I gave him an years. She has ultimatum. I told two teenage chilhim to say everydren from a previthing he needs to ous marriage. When we all Annie's in order to clear the air, and after moved in together that, he will no nine years ago, be there were a few by Kathy Mitchell longer struggles, but I and Marcy Sugar allowed in our home. He should felt they were not unusual and we could live with his father. My wife has essentialovercome them. But now it's worse. I ly told me that I'm the believe part of the prob- bad guy here. Am I lem is that my wife does wrong to believe in oldnot provide any structure fashioned discipline? I in the children's lives. fear that when I need her She would rather be a the most, my wife won't friend than a parent, and be by my side. I refuse to as a result, they do not be treated like this, but respect either of us. My I'm also scared of losing wife is defensive when it what I love the most. Is comes to criticism or our marriage already suggestions about her over? — Trying To Be a kids. She always takes Stepdad Dear Trying: We their side. Last week, my 17- understand your frustrayear-old stepson asked tion and agree that your for an expensive item. wife should be dealing When he heard me say with this in a more effec"no," he flipped out. He tive manner. But you was full of rage, and it is cannot give ultimatums obvious that he has pent- to your wife's children up anger toward me. I unless she backs you up. have raised this kid for You are overstepping half of his life and have your authority. If she is to choose provided for him when forced his own father wouldn't. between you and her I don't have the finances children, you will lose. to provide luxury items, Teenagers have their own and while this has caused category of parenting Mailbox requirements. Please check out the National Stepfamily Resource C e n t e r (stepfamilies.info) for information and suggestions. Dear Annie: Four friends and I recently spent two hours cleaning up another friend's apartment when she moved. We all came to the same conclusion: Get rid of your stuff! Please tell people to go through their closets once in a while and throw out or donate old clothes. How many purple tops do you need? How many gewgaws must you have in your collection? If they accumulate dust, you have too many. Take a picture of your teddy bears and dolls, and you'll have them forever. No one is going to care for these things when you can't do it any longer. May as well donate them now and let someone else enjoy them. — Four Good Friends Dear Friends: Clutter can get the best of anyone if they don't make the effort to clean out and organize now and then. It's nice to have friends who are willing to help. We hope your friend appreciates you. Writer's cramp is minor malady without cause glass of orange juice each day DEAR DOCTOR K: These — led to improved handwriting. days I mostly type. But when I There's no real treatment for write, my hand cramps up withwriter's cramp, but there are a in minutes. Is there anything I few things you can try: can do? — Use a keyboard more DEAR READER: I do most often. If you don't like typing, of my "writing" on my computspeech recognition software on er, too. Whether I'm writing a computers and tablets works column, updating a colleague or Dr. K well. And I see lots of people catching up with a friend, I'm by Anthony L. who used to take notes in longmore likely to reach for a keyboard than a pen. But, like you, Komaroff, M.D. hand during meetings now typing notes into their tablets and on the occasions when I do write in longhand, my hand sometimes laptop computers. — Sometimes using a pen or pencil misbehaves. It doesn't become painful — the handwriting just is less legible. with a larger grip improves the situa(And, for most of my career, unlike in tion. — Don't concentrate harder on your the case with some of my colleagues, you could read this doctor's handwrit- handwriting: This can make your hand muscles tense up even more. Instead, ing.) With writer's cramp, the muscles of try to really relax your hand as you your fingers, hand or forearm cramp or write. That helps me. — More formal relaxation techspasm during writing. Why does this happen? The precise reasons are uncer- niques, hypnosis and biofeedback may tain, but it is possible that insufficient be helpful for some people. — With your doctor's supervision nerve signals from your hand into your spinal cord and brain lead to an inade- you may try certain medications. These quate "relaxation signal" from your include trihexyphenidyl (Artane), propranolol (Inderal, others) or botulinum brain to your hand. You may notice that the more you try toxin (Botox) injections. They seem to to write, the worse the cramping gets. help some people, although there are Your hand may even jerk involuntarily. not many good studies of this treatment. That happens to me. Writer's cramp can be irritating. It's Most cases of writer's cramp have no identifiable cause. But in rare cases, one of those minor maladies that tend writer's cramp may result from disc to creep up on us as we get older. On disease in the neck, certain drugs (such rare occasions it can be a sign of an as lithium), or brain disease (including underlying and serious neurological condition. But almost always it's just stroke or tumors). A common but mistaken belief is an aggravation, not a serious problem. that muscle cramps are caused by Dr. Komaroff is a physician and abnormal potassium, sodium or calciprofessor at Harvard Medical School. To um. That may be true on occasion, but not usually. Still, I've known some send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, patients who report that eating more or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., potassium — in the form of a banana or Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. WORLD BRIEFING UN Security Council approves sanctions to punish NK UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Thursday for tough new sanctions to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear test, and a furious Pyongyang threatened a nuclear strike against the United States. The sanctions drafted by North Korea's closest ally, China, and the United States send a powerful message that the international community condemns Pyongyang's ballistic missile and nuclear tests — and repeated violations of Security Council resolutions. ''Adoption of the resolution itself is not enough,'' China's U.N. Ambassador Li Baodong said. ''We want to see full implementation of the resolution.'' Li also urged calm and a resumption of the stalled six-party talks aimed at denuclearizing the Korean peninsula. ''The top priority now is to defuse the tensions, bring down heat ... bring the situation back on the track of diplomacy, on negotiations,'' Li said. North Korea's nuclear test in February was the first since the country's young new leader, Kim Jong Un, took charge amid questions of whether he would steer the country on a different course. The North's threats sharpened Thursday with the first reference to a preemptive nuclear attack. Senate confirms Brennan as CIA director WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate confirmed John Brennan to be CIA director Thursday after the Obama administration bowed to demands from Republicans blocking the nomination and stated explicitly there are limits on the president's power to use drones against U.S. terror suspects on American soil. The vote was 63-34 and came just hours after Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, a possible 2016 presidential candidate, held the floor past midnight in an old-style filibuster of the nomination to extract an answer from the administration. Still, Brennan won some GOP support. Thirteen Republicans voted with 49 Democrats and one independent to give Brennan, who has been President Barack Obama's top counterterrorism adviser, the top job at the nation's spy agency. He will replace Michael Morell, the CIA's deputy director who has been acting director since David Petraeus resigned in November after acknowledging an affair with his biographer. The confirmation vote came moments after Democrats prevailed in a vote ending the filibuster, 81-16. In a series of fast-moving events, by Senate standards, Attorney General Eric Holder sent a oneparagraph letter to Paul, who had commanded the floor for nearly 13 hours on Wednesday and into Thursday. domestic and foreign foes as his anointed successor claims, this is the defense. On alert and, in many cases on edge, are hundreds of well-armed toughs who belong to such shadowy ''collectives'' as La Piedrita, which have been blamed for strong-armed intimidation of political opponents and worse. Chavez's body to be permanently displayed CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela's acting president says Hugo Chavez's embalmed body will be permanently displayed in a glass casket so that ''his people will always have him.'' Vice President Nicolas Maduro says the remains will be put on permanent display at the Museum of the Revolution, close to the presidential palace where Chavez ruled for 14 years. Maduro says the president will lie in state first for at least another seven days. A state funeral for Chavez attended by some 33 heads of government is scheduled to begin Friday morning. Militants a potentially menacing wild card CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Carlos Torres opens the wire-fence gate to a neighborhood controlled by the La Piedrita gang that even police don't enter without permission. ''Loyal to Comandante Committee OKs bill on illegal gun purchases Chavez,'' reads a banner just inside the 23 of January redoubt in western Caracas. The poor neighborhood is home to a small army of pistol-toting young men who, like Torres, see themselves as guardians of President Hugo Chavez's ''socialist revolution.'' These die-hard Chavistas say there is no way they will let Venezuela's ''oligarchy'' and its alleged Washington patrons to return to power. ''That would cost us blood, sweat and tears, but they won't be back,'' he said. If Chavez's populist system is indeed threatened by Reuse Facility What?: REAP the benefits of Reuse at the REAP (Reuse of Available Products) Facility. How much? All items are Free! What can I get? • Paints • Cleaning Supplies • Polishes • Stains • Automotive Fluids • and much more Where? At the Tehama County/Red Bluff Landfill: 19995 Plymire Rd., RB When? Monday-Friday 9am - 4pm. For more information, please contact: 528-1103 or visit www.tehamacountylandfill.com WASHINGTON (AP) — In Congress' first gun votes since the Newtown, Conn., nightmare, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted Thursday to toughen federal penalties against illegal firearms purchases, even as senators signaled that a deep partisan divide remained over gun curbs. The Democratic-led panel voted 11-7 to impose penalties of up to 25 years for people who legally buy firearms but give them to someone else for use in a crime or to people legally barred from acquiring weapons. The panel's top Republican, Sen. Charles Grassley of Iowa, cast the only GOP vote for the measure. The parties' differences were underscored when senators debated a proposal by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., to ban assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Democrats have noted that such firearms have been used in many recent mass shootings. ''The time has come, America, to step up and ban these weapons,'' said Feinstein, a lead sponsor of a 1994 assault weapons ban that expired a decade later. She added, ''How could I stand by and see this carnage go on?'' INCOME TAX PREPARATION Fast, Friendly, Reasonable Fees Fee for Short or Long form includes all the tax credits and E-filing with direct Deposit. 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