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Friday, September 17, 2010 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Texting tart terminates trustworthiness Dear Annie: I am hav- ing problems with my neighbor ‘‘Sarah,’’ who I used to consider a good friend. A year ago, she began sending my husband text messages. They started out innocently, but then she began implying she wanted ‘‘Ed’’ to have an affair with her. I was extremely hurt and angry. I know she and her husband were having some difficulties, and I think she was looking for attention. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Sarah sent me an apology via e- mail, but otherwise hasn’t spoken about it. Ed told her to stop texting, but she still sends him an occasion- al message, although they are no longer suggestive. I feel it is totally inappropriate for her to text him at all. Ed does not respond to the mes- sages, hoping she will stop, but he’s about ready to change his cell num- ber. The tricky part is that my chil- dren are friendly with Sarah’s. I have seen her a handful of times when the kids were playing outside, and we’ve said hello, but that’s about it. I no longer feel comfort- able around her. The irony is that Sarah seems angry at us because our friendship is not the same. She seems to believe the past is water under the bridge. I have no desire to be friends any longer and don’t feel I can trust her. Am I being too harsh? — Annoyed Neighbor Dear Annoyed: No. Sarah has betrayed your trust and dismissed Q: What's all this talk about "circuit breakers" for stock trading? Would it stop big declines? Will it make the market safer? A: While the Securities and Exchange Com- mission has not yet found, or dis- closed, the cause of the unprecedented May 6 move in the mar- kets, it is working with the exchanges to create some kind of mechanism that would, at least temporarily, halt trading when extreme moves develop in individ- ual stocks, as well as the indexes. The concept of "circuit breakers" was first created as a response to the stock market crash of 1987. That regulation set "triggers" to temporarily halt trading if the Dow Jones industrial average fell 250 points, and again if it fell 400 points. Over the years, those "triggers" were re-set, reflecting the higher value of the Dow and the increased volatility of the markets. And they're still in effect. Currently, trading is halted on the New York Stock Exchange if the Dow declines 10 percent -- or about 1,000 points, since we're trading at the Dow 10,000 level these days. The amount of time the market is closed depends on the time of day the decline occurs. Additional circuit break- ers are triggered if the Dow falls 20 percent or even 30 percent. In the latter case, the NYSE would close early for the day. Notably, these circuit breakers apply The Electric Man For all your electrical needs • New Outlets / 220 • Fans / Fixtures • Pools / Spas • Code Corrections • Troubleshooting • Panel Upgrade • Telephone Wiring $10.00 Customer Discount FREE Estimates License# 826543 347-4441 her culpability and is inap- propriately maintaining sep- arate contact with your hus- band. She is not a friend. Avoiding her would be diffi- cult, however. Instead, you and Ed should tell her, together, that her behavior was disgraceful and forgive- ness is not possible as long as she continues to text him. Tell her to stop immediately. No excuses will be accepted. Dear Annie: I have an old acquaintance who has inserted himself into my life via Facebook. Now, it seems I’m his only friend. Every time I’m on Facebook, he’s there. I’ve ignored my account in order to avoid him, but then he just texts me. I wouldn’t mind so much, but he likes to turn every- thing into a political argument, and he is insulting. I’m tired of having to cut back on my own social networking in order to avoid another drawn-out discus- sion with him. ‘‘Unfriending’’ him isn’t a good option because when he isn’t arguing with me, he’s a decent guy and I’d rather not abandon him. I just don’t want my whole life dominated by his keyboard. How do I solve this with the least amount of backfire? — Getting Too Much Dear Too Much: Try ignoring the political rants. Change the sub- ject. It’s hard to fight with someone who replies, ‘‘Yeah, whatever, how about them Yankees?’’ More impor- tantly, you are not obligated to be his friend and allow him to hijack your Facebook page. Tell him that if only in a falling market -- there is no restriction if the DJIA rises quickly. So what happened? Why didn't the circuit breakers kick in when the Dow fell nearly 1,000 points in just 20 minutes? Well, the first and most obvious reason is that the Dow didn't reach the required 10 percent decline that day. But as sell orders cascaded into the market, NYSE offi- cials did take action to delay trading for about 90 seconds -- an eternity in today's fast-paced markets. What really went wrong is that the exchanges have become less of a factor in the last decade, as most of the trading of exchange- listed stocks has moved to a network of electronic exchanges. Even though a company may be listed on the NYSE or Nasdaq, as much as 80 percent of the actual trading volume may be in transactions made through electronic "exchanges." And much of that trad- ing is initiated by sophisti- cated computer programs, designed to instantly search all bids and offers on any electronic venue. On that fateful Thurs- he continues to insult you, you will be forced to unfriend him. Then, when you’ve had enough, at least he will know why. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ‘‘Not Always Greener,’’ who was adopted and searched for her birth mother. I am 54 and was adopted. I’ve been asked many times if I am curious about my birth parents. Yes, of course. I know they were married but could not care for a child at the time. I would not, in any way, compro- mise the feelings of my devoted, nurturing parents in order to satisfy a selfish urge on my part. Likewise, I am respectful of the choice that my birth parents made and will not attempt to contact them. Medical history, however, is a blank record. Is there a way I could get that information without dis- turbing anyone? — Doubly Loved Dear Loved: Your state may allow access to your adoption records, which should contain some basic medical history. Contact the National Adoption Information Clearinghouse (http://www.adoption.org/adopt/natio nal-adoption-information-clearingho use.php), 330 C Street SW, Washing- ton, D.C. 20447. 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. Breaks help, but cannot stop panic day, those electronic exchanges were swamped with sell orders when the NYSE slowed its trading. And the thin (small vol- ume) bids on the electronic exchanges were hit at ever- lower prices. would require exchanges to par- ticipate in new circuit breaker rules -- designed to affect individ- ual stocks. Basically, if a stock moves more than 10 percent in a five-minute period, there would be a tem- porary, five- minute trading halt. During that period, the listing markets such as NYSE or Nasdaq would issue the first quote or transaction to re- establish an order- ly market. If the markets can't establish a quote The current solution all Terry Savage The Savage Truth on Money after 10 minutes, electronic trading will resume at whatever prices are set by the electronic markets. Interestingly, this new individual stock circuit breaker applies on the upside as well as the down- side. So a "melt-up" would be impacted as much as a "meltdown." "This is a first step that can be implemented quick- ly to prevent a loss of confi- dence in the markets," said David Herron, CEO of the Chicago Stock Exchange, one of the leaders who sat in on the exchange discus- sions. "We will look at other solutions, as well, including a 'limit down' con- cept, which would allow trading to contin- ue but only at a price equal to or higher than the last sale." So the direct answer to your question is: Yes, the market might appear "safer" as a result of these steps because they will at least temporarily halt precipitous slides. But mar- kets frequently trade on emotion -- and even com- puter programs will reflect both fear and greed on the part of those who set them in motion. Kidney-failure diagnosis can be tricky DEAR DR. GOTT: I am an 86- year-old doctor’s daughter con- cerned that both my parents died of kidney failure, although I never knew how it hap- pened. Perhaps you could tell me what steps I should take first to deal with it, as I just got a report from my doc- tor indicating that I have chronic kidney disease that has stabilized. What does that mean? DEAR READER: The kidneys are fist-sized, bean-shaped organs locat- ed at the back of the upper abdomen. Their purpose is to filter and clean blood. When the kidneys lose their ability to perform as intended, the condition is known as kidney failure. Stabilized failure simply means that your kidneys have lost some function but are no longer deteriorating. Symptoms of failure vary, depending on the type experienced. Diagnosis can be difficult for a physician because symptoms and complaints can be attrib- uted to other, unrelated symptoms. I will cover a few possibilities. Stones form when the accumulated urine in the kidneys contains too high a concentration of uric acid, calcium or oxalate. Low levels of citrate and magne- sium can also contribute to the formation. While there are four types of stones, the most common are the result of excess calcium. This can result from some prescribed diuretics, the ingestion of large amounts of vitamin D, dehydration or from excess hormones — specifically thyroid and/or parathyroid. Pyelonephritis is a com- mon kidney inflammation. This disorder is rather com- mon in women but can also occur in conjunction with kidney stones, bladder tumors, urinary infections or an enlarged prostate gland in men. Chronic kidney failure can occur from injury, blocked blood vessels, or can be the result of compli- cations from a surgical pro- Dr. Peter Gott cedure. Chronic failure occurs when the function of the kidneys has decreased to less than 25 percent of what it should be. With acute or chronic failure, waste products build up in the blood and cannot be eliminated. Symptoms include loss of appetite, nausea, vomit- ing, drowsiness and a decrease in urine output. Treatment consists of determining the cause for the failure, controlling infection and prescribing diuretics. In extremely advanced cases, dialysis may be necessary. Your failure may be the result of diabetes, hyper- tension or untreated or repeated kidney inflamma- tion. Make an appointment with your physician or a nephrologist to determine what can be done to bring things under better control. While I understand you have already requested a copy of my Health Report “Kidney Disorders,” 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, PO Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title or print out an order form from my website www.AskDr- GottMD.com. DEAR DR. GOTT: I would like to receive a copy of your “No Flour, No Sugar Diet.” How may I order it? DEAR READER: Oddly enough, your request is not unique. I receive inquiries every day, and my website has specif- ic instructions for ordering. Most of my books are offered on the bottom of the “About” page, but if a reader doesn’t scroll to the bottom of the page, the sec- tion is likely missed. We are presently working on a more user-friendly site with better links that will assist readers. In any event, follow the links that will take you directly to Ama- zon.com. Thank you for your inquiry. COMPLETE AUTO REPAIR All makes and models. We perform dealer recommened 30K, 60K, 90K SERVICES AT LOWER PRICES Smog Check starting at $ (most cars and pick-ups) 2995 + cert. Pass or FREE retest 527-9841 • 195 S. Main St.