Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/51035
Friday, December 23, 2011 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Perpetually plastered parent perturbs pal Dear Annie: My friend ''Candi'' regularly drinks and drives. She often drinks at a friend's house and then drives herself home. Other times, she drinks at home and then goes out. There are even times when she takes her teenage daughter in the car after she's been drinking. I've confronted Candi only to be told that she doesn't have a drinking problem and I should be quiet. But, Annie, I can't tell you how many times her children and I have found her passed out in the yard, on the floor, at the dinner table or behind the wheel of her car while it's in the driveway. Candi is endangering her life and the lives of everyone around her. I can no longer idly sit back and let this continue. What's worse is that she has a legal hand- gun, and I am scared to death that she will use it while she's drunk. Is there anything I can do to convince her she needs help? — Looking for Some Answers Dear Looking: Candi sounds Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar anon.alateen.org) and sug- gest to Candi's daughter that she do the same. Dear Annie: ''Clay'' and I are both 23 and have been friends for a while. Lately, I've noticed that Clay is dating younger and younger girls. He seems to go for the ones under 18. His current girlfriend is going to be 15 in a month. Clay has told me that he meets girls in a chat room specifically for teens. I've been trying to find a way to talk to him about this, and I finally said that I can't support his choices. I told him if he messes up his life, it's his problem and I will not defend him. He claims he likes dating younger girls and is always careful. I don't know what to do any- more. I don't want him to get hurt, but if he gets arrested, it's his own fault. Please help. — Pennsylvania Dear Pennsylvania: Clay is like a tragedy waiting to happen. We don't know whether she will ever admit that she needs help, and you can't force her. So, if you know when she is driving drunk, call the police. If she is drinking in your presence, take away her car keys. Caution Candi's daughter not to get into the car with her mother when she's been drinking. Also contact Al-Anon (al- being exceedingly reckless by stalking young teenage girls. (The term for adults who are attracted to teenagers between the ages of 11 to 14 is hebephilia.) If Clay has sex with these girls, he can be sent to prison, though it's possible the risk excites him. There may be underlying reasons for his inabili- ty to be attracted to adult women, but unless he is willing to address that, there's not much more you can do for him. But if you know what chat rooms he is using, you can notify the servers. If you are aware that he is having sex with these girls, you can report him to the authorities. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ''Frank,'' who cheated on his wife and lost his family, his posi- tion in the community and his once-charmed life. I, too, made a huge mistake by cheating. I was so ignorant and selfish that I didn't realize how badly I would be scarring individ- uals I loved. My husband and I divorced. My children heard about my infidelities from everyone in town. I was shunned by people who once respected me. My children's spouses are now privy to my mistakes and will never be able to bond with me as they might have. I eventually mar- ried a man who turned out to be a callous, lying philanderer. Perhaps this is justice for the pain I caused. If I could go back and live my first marriage as a faithful wife, I would. I should have counted my blessings, instead of nit-picking his flaws and using that as an excuse for my bad behavior. — Living in Sad Regret 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. December Fish and Game calendar • Dec. 24, 31 - Docent-led Swan Tours in rice fields near Marysville, Saturdays from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Driving tours along a short route with very little walking required. See tundra swans, ducks, geese, cranes, shorebirds, white pelicans, herons, egrets and raptors. Pre-registration is required on the DFG web- site, www.dfg.ca.gov/regions/2/SwanTours. Tours are free, but registrants are encouraged to make a donation online to the California Wildlife Foundation to support this program. For more information call (916) 358- 2852. • Dec. 25 - Last day of pheasant archery season. Please see the regulations online at www.fgc.ca.gov/regulations/current/uplandgamebir- dregs.aspx#300a2a. • Dec. 26 - Last day of second dove hunting season. Please see the regulations at www.fgc.ca.gov/regula- tions/current/uplandgamebirdregs.aspx#300b1b. • Dec. 26 - State offices will be closed for Christmas. More outdoors and nature-oriented events that are not sponsored by DFG are on the online calendar at www.dfg.ca.gov/events/. National Forest offices to close for holiday In the spirit of the holiday sea- son, the Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture has granted early closures for USDA departments, which include the offices of the Lassen National Forest. Be advised that forest offices will close at 1:30 p.m. today. Lassen National Forest offices The North State's premier supplier of stoves STOVE JUNCTION The Over 25 years of experience YOU HAVE UNTIL DEC. 31ST TO EARN YOUR on Wood & Pellet Stoves Tues-Sat 9am-5pm Closed Sunday & Monday 22825 Antelope Blvd., Red Bluff www.thestovejunction.com 530-528-2221 Fax 530-528-2229 TAX CREDIT $300 BACK by popular DEMAND! BUSINESS OPERATORS! Make sure your business is included in the BUSINESS CHRONOLOGY Promotional Feature Only in Tehama County 2012 Established 1994 D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY T H E V O I C E O F T E H A M A C O U N T Y S I N C E 1 8 8 5 Bare Root ~ Fruit Trees ~ Roses ~ Veggis are now in stock CHRISTMAS MERRY Red Bluff Garden Center 527-0886 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) 2 col. x 3" ads, published oldest to newest business, throughout the pages of the Daily News. Again This Year! All published Business Chronology ads will be re-packaged into an online special section called "Cavalcade of Local Business – 2012," equipped with page- turn digital technology. It will be published exclusively for a full year on www.redbluffdailynews.com, where thousands of unique online visitors come, every month! The Gold Exchange "Your Quality Hometown Jeweler" 423 Walnut St, Red Bluff 528-8000 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Sat 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. Business Chronology Boxes Published in The Daily News: Monday, January 2 Space Reservation Deadline: Wednesday, December 28 Rates: $65 per business Includes full run in the January 2 print and digital online edition of the Daily News, plus publication for a full year in online special section "Cavalcade of Local Business – 2012" at no extra cost! " Add $123 for three additional publications of your Chronology box in the print and online digital daily editions of The Daily News, any edition days through Saturday, January 7. Don't let YOUR business be left out of this expanded multi-media promotional project! Call your Daily News advertising representative today to make your space reservations. (530) 527-2151 or email advertise@redbluffdailynews.com Mon.-Fri. will be closed in observance of the holiday on Monday, Dec. 26. Offices will re-open for normal business hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., on Tuesday, Dec. 27. Pedometers help track your steps to better health DEAR DOC- TOR K: I try to take a walk every day, but I know I need to walk more if I want it to count as exercise. A friend suggested I buy a pedometer. What exactly is a pedometer, and do you think it's use- ful? DEAR READ- ER: A pedometer can motivate you to exercise. Practically everyone knows that exercise is good for you. Many peo- ple have heard that brisk exercise for at least 30 minutes, at least five times a week, is a healthy goal. But there are three things many of my patients don't know. You may not, either. First, people who exer- cise regularly have much lower rates of heart dis- ease, several types of can- cer, diabetes and other dis- eases. No medicine ever invented can protect you against disease as effec- tively as regular exercise. Second, that 30 minutes of exercise doesn't have to be so vigorous that it caus- es you to sweat and requires special clothes and showering afterward. A brisk walk at around 3 miles an hour (or a mile and a half in 30 minutes) will do the trick. That doesn't cause most people to sweat. Third, you don't need to take those 30 minutes a day all at the same time. A 15-minute brisk walk from where you park your car to your workplace, twice a day, would do the trick. Or add in the minutes spent climbing stairs in your office building. The steps you take when you're not "exercising" also count — even the times you get up from your desk and walk to the water cooler. So that's why you should exercise regularly. What is a pedometer, and Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. how can it help? Pedometers are little devices that count the number of steps you take. A common exer- cise goal is 10,000 steps a day, or about five miles. Most people take between 6,000 and 7,000 steps a day even if they don't exer- cise. There's evidence that pedometer users walk more than 2,000 additional steps each day than non- users, even if they don't have a formal exercise program. You can buy a good pedometer for as little as $25. There are two basic varieties: those with a mechanical sensor, and those with a high-tech or "smart" sensor. Pedome- ters with a mechanical sensor are less expensive, but also less accurate. They need to be kept per- pendicular to the ground to count steps correctly, whereas the "smart" mod- els work at any angle. Pedometers with a mechanical sensor are usually sold as "hip" or "belt" pedometers. Pedometers with a high- tech sensor may be touted as "pocket" pedometers that can be worn at any angle. Both types of pedome- ter come in versions that allow you to keep track of the distance you've trav- eled, the calories you've burned and your step counts for several days in a row. These extra features aren't necessary, but they may give you additional motivation to protect your health through exercise. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School. Go to his website to send questions and get additional information: www.AskDoctorK.com.