Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/134867
Wednesday, June 5, 2013 – Daily News 3B FEATURES Reader's boss being suckered by 'Nigerian' Balance exercise to complaint with the Federal Dear Annie: I have Trade Commission. Of worked for many years at a course, if she chooses to small family-owned comignore you and contact him pany. I believe my boss has on her own, there is nothing been the victim of a scam, you can do. Some people but I can't tell her. have to learn the hard way. For several years, my Dear Annie: My husboss has been communicatband and I live on a quiet ing with a gentleman who claims to be Nigerian. He Annie's dead-end street. Quiet, that is, until the neighbors rev up keeps telling her he is suptheir Harleys. They have two posed to come to America in the near future and will by Kathy Mitchell motorcycles that have been bring her a check for $40 and Marcy Sugar altered to be much louder than the factory intended. million. I don't see it happening. There are three people These neighbors often come home sending this man money. By now, well after midnight and sometimes they have probably given him more leave early on Sunday mornings, making it impossible to sleep with than $100,000. When I am at work, my boss asks our bedroom window open. When they travel back and forth whether the man has sent any emails, and if not, she wants me to during the day, the thunderous noise write to him. Every few weeks, he is quite disturbing. I realize that says the trip has to be postponed, some Harley owners feel that the and then he needs more money for a loud pipes and leather are a form of new ticket. How do I tell her I don't prestige, but I wonder whether they want to be involved with this any ever consider their neighbors. Please, Harley owners, pipe down! longer? — Seeing a Scam Dear Seeing: The ''Nigerian — Hate Those Harleys Dear Hate: Have you asked your scam'' has been around for a very long time, and we are surprised peo- neighbors directly whether they ple still fall for it. This man will would please muffle the noise until never come to this country with $40 they are out on the open road? Does million, but he's certainly doing a your neighborhood have a noise good job of collecting money from ordinance prohibiting such volume naive people like your boss. Not at certain hours? Is there a neighonly should you stop contacting this borhood association to resolve conman, but you also should protect flicts? Don't give up without first your boss by informing her that this checking to see whether you have is a scam and she should report it to any recourse in the matter. Dear Annie: I read the letter the local FBI office or register a Mailbox from ''Helpless, Tired Granny,'' who is raising her four grandchildren, and two of them are terribly messed up. That letter moved me. My two oldest sons were wonderful little boys, but something changed in middle school, and they became rebellious and angry. They would skip school and run away. They were so out of control that we could not have family events. Counseling didn't work until we took our older boy to a psychiatrist when he began using drugs. They eventually were both diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Now, even though we still have our ups and downs, we have our happy family back, and my sons are preparing for their futures. My suggestion for ''Helpless'' is to get help. She should get a referral to a psychiatrist and find out whether her local health department has a program for grandparents in her situation. Government programs have a lot to offer, but you have to ask. She needs to be strong. — Been There Annie's Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column. Please email your questions to anniesmailboxcomcast.net, or write to: Annie's Mailbox, c/o Creators Syndicate, 737 3rd Street, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254. Grants to boost local job creation Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced Tuesday a new economic vitality grant program designed to promote economic growth in communities throughout the utility's service area in Northern and Central California. Through this pilot program, up to $200,000 will be awarded to local government organizations, educational institutions and 501(c) 3 non-profit organizations to provide funding for projects or programs designed to spur innovation and job creation. As part of PG&E's nearly $2.5 million charitable commitment to economic development in 2013, this new shareholder-funded program will invest in local initiatives that aim to attract, retain or expand local businesses; provide business development, incubation or acceleration opportunities; or provide valuable workforce training. In addition, these grants will be awarded to projects that aim to spur job creation within local economies struggling to recover from the economic downturn. "As one of the state's largest employers and a key contributor to many local economies, PG&E is focused on the economic health of our customers and California," said Ezra Garrett, PG&E Vice President for Com- munity Relations and Chief Sustainability Officer. "Through this pilot program, we will provide local non-profits and institutions the resources they need to spur job creation and to promote economic vitality in the communities which we are privileged to serve." Applications will be accepted from June 4 through July 31. To learn more and apply, visit www.pge.com/evgrants. Social Security brings office outside By Jennifer Cooper Social Security Manager in Redding Ah, the great outdoors. With sunny weather, green trees, blooming flowers, and fresh air, many have already flocked to the outdoors to spend as many hours as they can before autumn leads way to winter. Whether you prefer to spend your time hiking in the woods, tossing a ball in the back yard, gardening, or reading on the beach, it's refreshing to get in some outside time. If you have Social Security business to tend to when you're not tending to your lawn, that's no reason to ditch the outdoors. You don't have to drive to and wait in an office — you can handle much of your Social Security business from your laptop, tablet, or smartphone, wherever you may be. Let's say you're enjoying a camping trip — but brought your tablet along to stay connected. Your wife mentions she hasn't gotten her Social Security Statement this year, and you remind her that she can get it online after creating a my Social Security account available at www.socialsecurity.gov/myaccount. In a few moments, you both are reviewing your Statements together and dreaming about your future retirement years — with precision — as you gaze at the stars. Or perhaps you're at the baseball game with your uncle, your team just hit a home run, and after your cheering subsides he reminds you that you were supposed to look into a Social Security question for him. Simply pull out your smartphone and search our frequently asked questions at www.socialsecurity.gov/faq. Imagine yourself vacationing on the beach. Fresh from a swim, you're sunbathing on a lounge chair with a cool lemonade, tableside. And it hits you: this is where you want to be! You have your years in, so what are you waiting for? Just exchange your beach book for your tablet and you can apply for retirement benefits from the very place you want to spend your retirement. Whether you're at the beach, in the park, or enjoying the wilderness, as long as you have an Internet connection, you can do business with Social Security online. So enjoy the great outdoors, even while taking care of business with Social Security. Let us bring the office to you wherever you are. Learn more — and do more — at www.socialsecurity.gov. Mogul to pay $2.5M in settlement SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Facebook billionaire Sean Parker's lavish, $10 million Big Sur wedding got even more expensive Monday. The California Coastal Commission and Parker said they have reached a $2.5 million settlement to pay for coastal conservation programs after the Napster cofounder built a large movie-set-like wedding site in an ecologically sensitive area of Big Sur without proper permits. The parties reached the agreement after officials were tipped that Parker had built a cottage, fake ruins, waterfalls, staircases and a huge dance floor near iconic redwoods and a stream with threatened steelhead trout. The commission learned about the construction at a closed campground owned by Ventana Inn & Spa after a county investigation spurred by neighbor complaints. The Ventana is negotiating a separate settlement for allowing the construction to occur. ''Despite the continued unauthorized closure of the campground to the public, earlier this year, the property owner entered into an agreement giving Sean Parker exclusive use of the campground for several months to construct a sizeable wedding venue,'' the commission's staff wrote in a report. Ventana spokesman Francisco Carrasco did not return a call or email seeking comment. The Ventana is located within the coastal zone, an area regulated by the com- mission, an independent state agency that oversees coastal development. Any significant construction within the zone has to be permitted. When staff inspected, they found the temporary structures had already been built, but they allowed the wedding to proceed anyway. The commission started negotiating a settlement with Parker and his representatives instead of shutting the event down. ''Mr. Parker has been extremely cooperative and actively involved in working with Coastal Commission staff to reach this resolution which both addresses our Coastal Act concerns and will result in greater coastal access and conservation in the Big Sur and Monterey Peninsula areas,'' Charles Lester, the commission's executive director, said in a statement. Parker, 33, the former president of Facebook Inc. who was portrayed by Justin Timberlake in the movie ''The Social Network,'' married singer-songwriter Alexandra Lenas on Saturday in a ceremony with gowns and sets made by a designer for the ''Lord of the Rings'' films. Rick Zbur, Parker's representative during negotiations with the commission, said Parker worked diligently to address the issue once it came to his attention. ''So as soon as he was made aware of the Coastal Commission's concerns, he immediately stepped forward to discuss how he could protect the coastal area and resolve these issues,'' Zbur said in an email. reduce falls risk stand up, causing DEAR DOCdizziness, lightTOR K: In a previheadedness, blurry ous column you vision, even faintwrote about the ing. Standing up importance of balslowly — sitting ance exercises as first on the side of we age. But why the bed when you does our balance rise, for example get worse as we Dr. K — may help. get older? by Anthony L. — We lose a lot DEAR READER: A number of Komaroff, M.D. of muscle mass and strength as we changes that come with aging can affect our age. We also lose power — a function of strength and balance. — Inside our ears is a speed — which affects balbalance center called the ance, too. If you start to vestibular system that trip, power helps you react detects where our body is swiftly. Exercise can help in space. Are we upright or you rebuild strength and lying flat; are we standing power, or at least slow the on our feet or performing a pace of decline. — Our reflexes and handstand? The vestibular system is coordination slow with connected to centers in the age. Thus, you may be brain that also control our more likely to stumble — balance. When the vestibu- and take more time to react lar system and brain deter- when you do. Many health problems mine that we're about to fall over, the brain directs can interfere with balance. the body to take corrective They include, but are not action. Maybe we twist limited to, arthritis, stroke, back upright so we don't Parkinson's disease and fall. Maybe we're too far multiple sclerosis. Medications may also off center to avoid falling, so our arms and hands increase your risk of falls. stretch out to brace our fall. They can cause blurred As we age, cells in the vision, dizziness, lightvestibular system die off. headedness and drowsiThis affects how accurate- ness. Some medications ly we detect our position in may damage the inner ear, space. That, in turn, affects spurring balance disorders. Along with regular aerour ability to correct our position. For example, if obic exercise and weight we start to tilt to the right training, balance exercises and the vestibular system are important as we get doesn't detect this quickly, older. Such exercises really it becomes harder for the can help you improve your brain to prevent falling to balance. I've posted some of these simple exercises the right. — Our sight, the ability before, but I think it's to focus and see things worthwhile to highlight clearly, diminishes with them again. You can find age. So do depth percep- them on my website, tion, night vision and sen- AskDoctorK.com. sitivity to contrast. Eye Dr. Komaroff is a problems can impair, blur or distort vision. The loss physician and professor at of these visual cues com- Harvard Medical School. promises balance. Correc- To send questions, go to tive lenses or surgery may AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck help. — Blood pressure can St., Second Floor, Boston, dip suddenly when you MA 02115. Salisbury grads The Salisbury High School graduating class of 2013 is as follows: Guadalupe Baltazar; Adan J. Barajas; Jayden E. Barnett; Tauni M. Barnett; Stephanie Barragan Herrera; Brandon A. Bowen; Jenica E. Bozzo; Ciara B. Campbell; Ryan M. Cantrell; Marisa J. Carrel; Brittney N. Croy; Christopher R. Denial; Holly M. Driggers; Isabel P. Driggers; Jose R. Espinoza; Jose Frankie Faaola; Enrique V. Falcon; Mikayla S. Fessenden; Salomon Garcia; Gerardo Garcia Mojarro; River l. Giordan; Miguel A. Gonzalez; Abbigale Grossman; Julia ButtsH*ernandez; Vincent A. Hogan, III; Molly I. Huber; Kodijo M. Hyatt; Daniel Martinez; Kyle D. McCauley; Christopher D. McMahon; Austin Q. McMath; Dylan T. Mercure; Ethan T. Nealeigh; Jestine C. NelsonCook; Jessica J. Peery; Michael Philips-Heritage; Sharon P. Pirkle; Alexander M. Ramirez; Garrett M. Rangel; Sarah E. Santo; Alan D. Reder-Sharp; Elizabeth N. K. Shaw-Inman; Shealee R. Stewart; Allison C. Sylva; Weston A. Waddell; Destiny L. Wright and Mitchell S. Zubiri