Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/24230
Tuesday, February 1, 2011 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Twin trouble troubles twin Back-pain finds relief Dear Annie: I have an 18-year- old fraternal twin sister. We have the same friends, the same classes and the same extracurriculars. The problem is, she bul- lies me. If I have something she wants, she throws things at me. She pushes me out of my chair so she can sit in it. She constantly teases me, even when our friends are over. She says things like, ‘‘People only hang out with you because you’re my twin,’’ and ‘‘You should lose some of your fat.’’ Everything I do, we do. grandchild. Mandy also has a daugh- ter, ‘‘Lila,’’ from a previous mar- riage. Lila is now 4, and Cal, with whom I spend a lot of time, is 2. Lila used to call me Annie’s Everything we do, she’s the boss. If I resist, she hits me. We have an older sister, but she favors my twin. My friends don’t want to get involved or are oblivious to it. My parents do nothing. It’s obviously hard to avoid her, and I’m tired of sinking to her level. What can I do? — Twin Problems Dear Twin: This is extreme sib- Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar ling rivalry. Bullies are often jealous and insecure. Talk to your school counselor. Then look into switching classes and extracurricular activities so you are not together. Make differ- ent friends. Join sports groups out- side of school. Be sure to attend dif- ferent colleges. You and your twin need to separate yourselves and develop independent interests so she no longer feels so threatened by you. And she needs to grow up. Dear Annie: My son and his girl- friend, ‘‘Mandy,’’ have a beautiful baby boy, ‘‘Cal,’’ who is my first LOS ANGELES (AP) — This Academy Awards season seems all over but the corona- tion. ‘‘The King’s ‘‘Grandma,’’ but recently began calling me ‘‘Grandma Kay.’’ Mandy has always kept her distance from me, and I suspect this is a way to keep Lila from getting too close. I am worried that Cal will start calling me by my first name, too. I asked Mandy to have Lila simply call me ‘‘Grandma,’’ but she refused and now laughs when her daughter calls me Grand- ma Kay. Cal is already start- ing to pick up the name. Any advice? — Just Call Me Grandma Dear Grandma: Where is your son in all this? You should be regis- tering your complaint with him, not Mandy. He might want to point out to his girlfriend that it is in her best interests to get along with you. That said, however, this is not such a big deal. Many children use ‘‘Grandma First Name’’ to distinguish one set of grandparents from the other. It is not an insult and is no reflection on how close and loving the relationship is. Kids also find their own nicknames for grandparents, which is something you can encourage. Please don’t make a fuss over this. Dear Annie: You cautioned ‘‘New York’’ not to get between her husband and his unemployed son who lives with them and frequently threatens suicide. I have a similar sit- Speech’’ won top prizes over the weekend from Hollywood actors and directors, securing its standing as the film to beat at the Feb. 27 Oscars, whose winners mostly look like fore- gone conclusions. Front-runners coast- ed to victory at Sun- day’s Screen Actors Guild Awards — lead performers Colin Firth as Queen Elizabeth II’s stuttering dad in ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ and Natalie Portman as a ballerina going off her rocker in ‘‘Black Swan,’’ plus supporting players Christian Bale as a boxer on the skids and Melissa Leo as his doting but domineering mother in ‘‘The Fight- er.’’ ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ also won the SAG award for overall acting ensemble. A day earlier, the film was an upset winner at the Directors Guild of America Awards, where its filmmaker Tom Hooper triumphed over David Fincher, who had been considered the favorite for ‘‘The Social Network.’’ While Fincher’s Facebook chronicle dominated at the Gold- en Globes and critics’ awards early in the sea- son, momentum abrupt- ly shifted to ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ in bare- ly a week. ‘‘I’d like to thank security for letting me into the building,’’ Firth said as he accepted his SAG trophy. His joke points up how quickly ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ usurped front-runner status from ‘‘The Social Network,’’ which appeared to have a THE WINDOW & DOOR SHOP “Let us serve you” ★ Sales ★ Installation ★ Custom Doors ★ Pre-Hanging ★ Matching Molding & Trim Packages ENERGY EFFICIENT WINDOWS 1040 B Monroe St., Red Bluff (530) 527-7962 LIC#659256 smooth ride toward a best-picture and direc- tor win at the Oscars. The previous week- end, ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ was a surprise recipient for the top award from the Produc- ers Guild of America. Last Tuesday, the film led Oscar contenders with 12 nominations. The directors and actors guild honors, the last major ceremonies before the Oscars, may have sealed the deal for ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ at Hollywood’s biggest party. Only six times in the 62-year history of the Directors Guild awards has the winner there failed to go on to claim the best-director Oscar. And whatever film claims best director at the Oscars usually takes best picture, too. All four Screen Actors recipients pre- ceded their wins with Golden Globes and are safe bets to pick up Oscars. Firth and Bale have appeared unbeat- able almost from the moment their films began screening for critics and Hollywood insiders. If there’s room for surprises at the Oscars, it’s likely in the actress categories. Portman faces tough competition from Annette Bening as a stern lesbian mom in ‘‘The Kids Are All Right.’’ Bening’s a beloved figure in Holly- wood who has been nominated for Oscars three times previously without winning, so she might have a shot. And the supporting- actress lineup includes a dazzling performance from 14-year-old Hailee Steinfeld in her screen debut as a girl who hires Respecting People. Impacting Business Call us. And get back to work. Call us any time for: • An extensive network of recruiting sources • Testing and training • Experienced recruiters • Full-time employees • HR expertise and support services • Temporary Workers • Evaluation hire • Carefully screened candidates • Dedicated service uation with my wife and her 49-year- old son. ‘‘Tom’’ has been living under our roof for two years, draw- ing unemployment. He also has a drinking problem. My wife tolerates his behavior because she worries he might kill himself otherwise. It is hard to com- municate with Tom about his direc- tionless behavior, the drinking and the fact that he doesn’t eat. We have planned for him to be out of our house by spring, but we worry that he won’t be able to take care of himself. He refuses counseling or medical help. I know if Tom does not make it on his own, he will end up living with us again, and I fear I will be forced to move out. I have been married to his mother for 30 years. It is sad to know that I may be going into retirement alone. — East Texas Dear Texas: Alcoholics often have poor eating habits. It’s also pos- sible Tom is suffering from depres- sion and is using alcohol to self- medicate. Since Tom refuses help, please look into Al-Anon (al- anon.alateen.org) at 1-800-4AL- ANON (1-800-425-2666). 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. ‘King’s Speech’ rules obvious batch of Oscar bait Eklund’s career a boozy lawman to track her father’s killer in the Western ‘‘True Grit.’’ This is the one Oscar category where teens and preteens have shone, with past wins by 16-year-old Patty Duke (‘‘The Miracle Worker’’), 11-year-old Anna Paquin (‘‘The Piano’’) and 10-year- old Tatum O’Neal (‘‘Paper Moon’’). But at age 50, Leo somehow has become a fresh-faced darling in Hollywood despite a decades-long career. She had early success on TV’s ‘‘Homicide: Life on the Street’’ in the 1990s and now has caught a second wind at an age when many actresses find roles scarce. Leo, an Oscar nomi- nee two years ago for ‘‘Frozen River, was speechless for a long moment after taking the stage at the SAG Awards. ‘‘I’m much better when I have my words written for me and somebody’s costumes to put on,’’ Leo said. ‘‘This has been an extraordinary season for me.’’ Predictable though the awards may be, there still was room for spontaneity Sunday night. As Bale came on stage to collect his SAG Award, his real-life counterpart — former boxer Dicky Eklund, whom he plays in ‘‘The Fighter’’ — popped up at his side. unraveled amid drugs and crime, yet as Bale’s exuberant performance makes clear, the man is an irrepressible show- man. ‘‘Thank you for liv- ing the life, and thank you for letting me play you. You’re a real gen- tleman,’’ Bale told Eklund. ‘‘I like you now.’’ The 6,000 Oscar vot- ers probably will like Bale’s Eklund, along with Firth, Portman and Leo’s characters, and that grand, uplifting story ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ lays out. Geoffrey Rush, a supporting-actor nomi- nee as the monarch’s wily therapist in ‘‘The King’s Speech,’’ said his film showcases momentous oratory for modern audiences accustomed to pithy sound bytes. ‘‘The King’s Speech’’ builds tension as George VI struggles to find words to inspire his country- men on the eve of World War II. ‘‘It’s so great to hear a speech that kind of galvanizes the psyche of a country,’’ Rush said backstage at the SAG Awards, alongside Firth and supporting-actress nominee Helena Bon- ham Carter, who plays the king’s devoted queen. Come Oscar night, it looks as though there will be a lot of speeches inspired by that tongue- tied king. DEAR DR. GOTT: For the past 17 years, within two hours of falling asleep, a painful- ly stiff lower back would wake me and continually plague me throughout the night. Before this started, I was active — riding my bike, golfing and exer- cising regularly. Even- tually, I gave up all activity, including my daily 30-minute walk, because the more I moved during the day, the worse the pain became at night. I tried pain pills, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, lidocaine patches, heating pads, ice packs, stretching, walking around, sleeping on the couch and sleeping in a chair. Nothing worked. Sometimes it got so bad I would just stand in the middle of the room crying, begging for relief. Orthope- dic specialists, physical ther- apists and chiropractors all examined me. The only diagnosis I received was that I had a form of fibromyalgia. Once again, I asked my family doctor, who is an anti-aging specialist and pro- ponent of alternative medi- cine, what else she might have in her bag of tricks. She came up with a supplement called Soft Tissue Support Pak, distributed by Ortho Molecular Products. It is a package of eight supple- ments designed to repair soft-tissue injury. From the first night I took the supple- ments, I slept pain-free. I have been taking it for more than two months, and it’s still working. I have also started exercising, bike rid- ing and walking again. It is truly a miracle, in my esti- mation. I know many people in the Internet chat rooms have the same symptoms I do and can’t find relief. I hope this information is helpful to anyone who may be suffer- ing from a similar torture. It’s a bit costly, between $2 and $3 per nightly package, but it’s more than worth it for a night’s sleep. Thank you for your col- umn and all the folks it helps, including me. DEAR READER: I was easily able to find Soft Tis- sue Support Paks by Ortho Molecular Products online. I could not find a package of eight, only nine and 30. According to the website, Dr. Peter Gott the product con- tains vitamins C and B6, calci- um, magne- sium, turmeric, v arious enzymes and extracts, and other alternative supplements. The product is fairly expen- sive. A box of 30 costs about $69, with shipping ranging from free to nearly $50, meaning each pack costs between just over $2 to just under $4. A box of nine costs just over $29, and shipping ranges from about $10 to $50, with each pack costing between $4 and $9. The top of the website boasts a fairly large badge claiming it is a Better Busi- ness Bureau-accredited busi- ness. When clicking on this, I traveled to the BBB web- site, where I found that Doc- tor’s Choice Inc., of which Ortho Molecular Products is a part, had an A+ rating. (The BBB system ranges from A+ to F.) I was fairly impressed by this, but in trying to learn more about Doctor’s Choice Inc. and its various sub- sidiaries, I was disappointed. I was able to discern that the company is about 10 years old. (A further look at the BBB page showed it was established in December 2000.) On the whole, I wouldn’t recommend this product, primarily owing to its cost; however, because you have had such success, I suggest you stick with it. I cannot see that the product would be harmful. (It does carry warn- ings against use during preg- nancy or nursing and in those with allergies to pineapple and bromelain.) So, if any of my readers choose to try it, I ask that they send me their results. I will print a follow-up article once I receive sufficient reports. Dr. Peter H. Gott is a retired physician and the author of several books, including “Live Longer, Live Better,” “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Diet” and “Dr. Gott’s No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook,” which are available at most bookstores or online. His website is www.AskDrGottMD.com Schwarzenegger to honor fitness pioneer LaLanne LOS ANGELES (AP) — Arnold Schwarzeneg- ger will honor the late fitness pioneer Jack LaLanne (lah-LAYN’) at a Los Angeles service. Schwarzenegger, TV fitness guru Richard Sim- mons and former “Hulk” TV star Lou Ferrigno will be among those taking part in a “Celebration of Life” for LaLanne on Tuesday at Forest Lawn Hol- lywood Hills memorial park. Schwarzenegger spokesman Daniel Ketchell says the former Cali- fornia governor and bodybuilder will speak at the event. Bay. LaLanne was 96 when he died Jan. 23 in Morro LaLanne encouraged generations of TV viewers to exercise daily and promoted weight training for women at a time when that was considered revolu- tionary. He also founded a chain of fitness studios and touted the value of raw fruit and vegetables. www.expresspros.com 530-527-0727 243 So. Main Street