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Wednesday, April 13, 2011 – Daily News – 5A FEATURES Drunken daughter disses dad’s demands Dear Annie: I’m a 47- year-old father of four kids. My oldest, ‘‘Janet,’’ is 24 and lives on her own. I adopted Janet when she was 2. Her mother made it clear that Janet is to never know that she is not my biological child. Janet’s mother and I are now divorced, and I have moved on to a happier life. I have always treated Janet the same as my other kids. I co-signed for her car and covered when she missed pay- ments. When she needed money, I was there for her. When she gradu- ated from college, I forgave the $4,000 she owed me for her tuition. Janet’s mother never offered a dime to help. Annie’s Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar Unfortunately, Janet has inherit- ed her mother’s tendency to drink and take advantage of people. She appreciates nothing I’ve done for her. I finally couldn’t take it any- more and stopped trying to help. That was 18 months ago, and we haven’t spoken since. This is caus- ing problems with my other kids. They want me to forgive everything. But I need Janet to admit she is out of control. She hasn’t responded to any of my past letters, so why should I keep trying to make her see that she needs to grow up and stop hurting herself and her family? Janet still owes me more than $21,000 in school loans and refuses to repay any of it. Now I am think- ing of suing her. I’m a firm believer in being responsible for your actions. I also think it is time to tell Janet about her biological father. It may help her understand why she is so different from her siblings. I’m hoping it will also demonstrate that I’m the only one who has been there for her. I feel I have lost a daughter. What should I do? — At a Crossroad with a Broken Heart Dear Crossroad: Many biological parents have these same issues with irre- sponsible adult children. It’s up to you whether or not to sue Janet, but she is not likely to repay the $21,000 either way. However, we agree that she should know about her biological origins — not because she will appreciate you more (not likely), but because she deserves to have her medical histo- ry. First consult a counselor who deals with adopted children so you can present it properly, and then warn your ex-wife. Dear Annie: In the expression, ‘‘Watch your P’s and Q’s,’’ what do the letters ‘‘P’’ and ‘‘Q’’ stand for? — Always Wondered in Ohio Dear Ohio: The most accepted explanation is that the expression comes from old printing presses where the letters ‘‘p’’ and ‘‘q’’ could easily be transposed when setting the type and workers should be careful. Another account is that it originated in English pubs where bartenders kept a tally of pints and quarts. Our favorite, however, is that ‘‘p’’ is short for ‘‘please’’ and ‘‘q’’ is a contraction of ‘‘thank you,’’ and the saying was used by California State University, Chico’s Career Center will host its spring All Majors Career and Internship Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, in the Bell Memori- al Union Auditorium on the campus. Representatives from a variety of employers such as Applied Aerospace Structures, Hormel Foods, Hewlett Packard, ChicoBag, Caltrans, Lassen National Park and Contra Costa County Sheriff will attend the career fair to recruit students for internships and full-time career positions. Students who are not currently seek- ing full-time positions or internships are encouraged to attend the fair and talk with employers about the job market and gain information about future openings. phony will launch a four-year project to pro- vide an interactive expe- rience between visiting classical music artists and local school stu- dents, thanks to a $96,000 grant from the McConnell Foundation. The Classical Music for Children grant begins immediately by helping to underwrite student ticket and trans- portation costs this spring to the North State Symphony’s youth con- cert. However, the core focus of the grant begins next fall, when children’s music star Dr. Noize (aka Cory Culli- nan) and North State Symphony Conductor Kyle Pickett work inten- sively with students at Redding School of the Arts to create an origi- nal classical music com- position that will pre- miere at Redding School of the Arts next spring and play at youth concerts in fall of 2012. “We are designing this to be a hands-on experience – students will be writing and per- forming a new piece of music that will be mem- orable and relative to their life and experi- ences,” said Pickett. Redding School of the Arts, which expects to open at its new loca- tion next fall, hopes the partnership will excite students and encourage participation in its new Classics for Kids pro- gram. “This grant supports our key belief at Red- ding School of the Arts that when it comes to young minds, art enrich- es, expands and pre- pares students for a full life,” said Jean Hatch, co-admininistrator of Redding School of the Arts. The grant also pro- vides for guest artist visits at other Classics for Strings programs in the Redding area, and provides funding to sup- port guest artist perfor- mances at the North State Symphony sub- scription concerts. “Research shows music improves critical thinking and academic performance. The pres- ence of classical music has also been a corner- parents to teach their children to be polite. Dear Annie: You recently print- ed a letter from a woman whose husband ‘‘claims’’ he is bipolar. He is also abusive. I have known I was bipolar since I was 46, back when it was still called manic depression. I get so tired of the media misrepresenting this condition. One cannot automat- ically assume that all bipolar people are violent or have such tendencies. I have never been violent in my 69 years and would never consider it. I know I am one of the lucky ones whose disease is completely con- trolled by the right medication, and I am diligent about following my psychiatrist’s advice. I am a successful and happy per- son. I wish people would not always assume that all bipolar individuals are hopeless, unemployed and dys- functional. It’s simply not the case. Thank you. — Stigmatized in Cali- fornia Dear Stigmatized: Bipolar symptoms are different depending upon the individual, and those who are diligent about their medication fare quite well. Thanks for the reminder. 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. Chico State hosts all majors internship fair today “We are particularly excited about the variety of employers for this year’s career fair,” said Career Cen- ter Director Jamie Starmer. “We’ve got tech employers, government employers, those looking to hire in the areas of engineering, sales, consulting, construction management, law enforcement and social services. And we’ve got our share of sustainability-oriented companies like ChicoBag and Friends of Bidwell Park. It’s a really nice lineup this year.” Starmer said he expects approximately 1,000 stu- dents and more than 60 employers to attend the fair. For more information about attending the Career Fair, call the Chico State Career Center at 898-5253. Symphony receives McConnell Foundation grant The North State Sym- stone of our civic soci- ety,” said Ann Prater, director of advancement for the College of Humanities and Fine Arts. “By offering an inspired musical experi- ence, this grant supports today’s students while seeding a future audi- ence to sustain classical music and the cultural arts of the North State.” The project’s first guest artist, Dr. Noize, is a top children’s music artist on Sirius Xm, including his album “The Ballad of Phineas McBoof” with its No.1 hit song “Banana” and “Welcome to Gram- maropolis.” This grant, imagined originally by Dr. Noize and Conductor Pickett, promises to make classi- cal music as fun and accessible as Dr. Noize’s other good- humored productions. “We can’t wait to show students the magic of a symphony, and believe once they touch and feel it, they will be transformed and become classical music fans for life,” said Pick- ett. The North State Sym- phony is a program of the Department of Music at California State University, Chico. The Classical Music for Children project is funded in part by The McConnell Foundation, Redding, California. The McConnell Founda- tion is a private, non- profit organization whose mission is to help build better communi- ties through philan- thropy. For more information on the project or the North State Symphony, phone the symphony office at 898-5984, or visit the North State Symphony website at www.northstatesympho- ny.org. Allergic reaction causes hives DEAR DR. GOTT: I enjoy your column very much. I went to a physician for hives. He did a host of blood work and only found low vitamin D lev- els. He said there is an ingredient called carrageenan that causes allergic reactions and inflamma- tion in the body. He told me to go home and check everything I use to see if it’s in there. Sure enough, the creamer that I have every day had it in there. I thought that this couldn’t possibly be the answer; it was too simple. I stopped using the creamer anyway, and my hives disappeared. Just to be sure, I used the creamer again and broke out with hives within 30 minutes. Dr. Peter Gott them, I started getting cold sores again. I now take a garlic pill three times a week, daily if I’m stressed, and sel- dom have the sores. If I feel one coming on, I take garlic morning, noon and night, and the sore never The amazing doctor who suggested this to me during my one visit then “ran off” to Arizona to practice integrative medi- cine. I only knew him as Dr. P, but I will always be grateful to him. Please share this with your read- ers so that maybe it can help some of them, too. DEAR READER: Car- rageenan is a seaweed extract used in processed foods. It is used as an emulsifier (prevents liq- uids from separating); helps stabilize crystals, such as ice and sugar; and changes the texture of foods (thickens or makes them chewier). According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), it is known to cause anaphylaxis in sensitive individuals dur- ing barium enema (of which carrageenan is a component). It is also thought that it could account for some of the problems babies experi- ence using milk products or certain baby formulas. To the best of my knowledge, an allergy to carrageenan is treated as a food allergy, meaning avoidance of the product is the best option. This involves thorough label reading and diligence. DEAR DR. GOTT: Last June, you published a column about cold sores, and I thought you might be interested in my experience. I grew up having cold sores occa- sionally, more often in my childbearing years (I assume because of stress). I began taking garlic pills for another reason and two years later when I discontinued fully develops. I thought this might be of interest to you and your readers. DEAR READER: I had not heard of garlic pills being beneficial in preventing cold sores prior to your letter. To the best of my knowledge, garlic pills are most com- monly used in an attempt to lower cholesterol and blood pressure. I have even had readers tell me that they are beneficial in preventing mosquitoes from biting. Other readers have recommended taking L- lysine daily. Rub the oil from one gel cap onto the affected area of the lip daily until the ulcer is healed. Yet another option is to coat the lesion with a layer of crystallized or powdered alum, which can be pur- chased at your local gro- cery store. Once the lesion is healed via either or other methods, future outbreaks can be prevent- ed by the ingestion of one L-lysine gel cap each day. Thank you for pointing out yet another use for garlic. Readers who would like additional informa- tion for alternative treat- ment can order my Health Reports “Dr. Gott’s Com- pelling Home Remedies “ and “Dr. Gott’s More Compelling Home Reme- dies” by sending a self- addressed stamped No. 10 envelope and a $2 check or money order for each report to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be sure to mention the title(s) or print an order form off my website’s direct link at www.AskDrGottMD.co m/order_form.pdf. 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