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8A Daily News – Friday, January 20, 2012 FEATURES Tyke trio transgression taints teen's tenure Dear Annie: My hus- band and I are in our early 50s. We have been married for one year and have not been intimate for six months. Until he transferred to a second-shift job, our bedroom was exciting. Now I'm not allowed to touch him. Anything more than a hug and he pushes me away. I miss how we once were. He says he hasn't been feel- ing well but refuses to see a doctor or a counselor. If he's not willing to discuss this Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar further, it's hard to know what to do or think. I love him dearly, and he tells me he loves me, too, but with all these mixed signals, I'm not so sure. Any ideas? — Boston Beauty Dear Boston: It's possible the job switch is exhausting him, or there could be something at work that is making him unwell. Or he could have met someone else on his new shift. There are other possibilities, but if he refuses to see a doctor or a counselor, it means he prefers to leave things as they are, and this is unacceptable. Please see a counselor on your own and figure out your next step. Dear Annie: We became close to one set of neighbors over the years. Their 17-year-old daughter often baby-sat our two children, ages 9 and 11. Six months ago, we attended a social event together while their daughter stayed with our kids and one of their friends, who was sleeping over. At some point, the sitter walked the kids to her parents' house, took their car (she had just gotten her driver's license) and drove them to a local ice cream store where her friends were working. She told the kids not to tell their parents. Three days later, our 9- year-old accidentally spilled the beans. I called the sitter and fired her, and then I told her mother what had hap- pened. Her only response was, ''Well, it wasn't illegal.'' We haven't spoken since. Two weeks ago, I texted the sitter and told her to call me so we could fix this mess already. I hoped she would apologize to my wife, even though she has not admitted she did anything wrong. Instead, her mother texted me back and told me to leave her daughter alone. She then remind- ed me that I never paid the girl for sit- ting that night. I am still in absolute shock. Any advice? — Upstate N.Y. Dad Dear Dad: This girl showed terri- ble judgment, but that is not unusual for a 17-year-old. She should have apologized immediately for putting your children at risk and doing some- thing without your permission. You should have forgiven her, with the understanding that it would not hap- pen again. It would have been better if her mother had not become involved, although we suspect the sit- ter was in tears after being fired and Mom thought she was protecting her. To resolve this, please walk over to the neighbors' house and pay the girl the money you owe her in per- son. Then, gently and kindly, explain that her behavior that evening alarmed you and made you question how responsible she is. Give her the opportunity to apologize. We hope she will. Dear Annie: Like ''Road Worri- er,'' I was unable to get my mother, who was legally blind with macular degeneration, to give up driving. She always said a prayer before getting behind the wheel. Living in different states made it difficult, so I spoke with an attorney, who told Mom that either she gets rid of the car or I would ask for legal guardianship and make ALL her future choices. She was furious but knew I meant business. The car was gone within a week. Her anger didn't last long, but I was willing to risk a permanent estrangement. It would have been worth saving the life of someone's child whom she eventual- ly would have killed. — Did What Needed To Be Done 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. IRS kicks off season with deadline extension WASHINGTON — The Internal Revenue Ser- vice recently opened the 2012 tax filing season by announcing that taxpayers have until April 17 to file their tax returns. The IRS encourages taxpayers to e- file as it is the best way to ensure accurate tax returns and get faster refunds. The IRS also announced a number of improvements to help make this tax sea- son easy for taxpayers. This includes new naviga- tion features and helpful information on IRS.gov and a new pilot to allow taxpayers to use interactive video to get help with tax issues. "At the IRS, we're working hard to make the process of filing your taxes as quick and easy as possi- ble," said IRS Commis- sioner Doug Shulman. "Providing quality service is one of our top priorities. It not only reduces the bur- den on taxpayers, but also helps in filing an accurate return right from the start." Taxpayers will have until Tuesday, April 17 to file their 2011 tax returns and pay any tax due because April 15 falls on a Sunday, and Emancipation Day, a holiday observed in the District of Columbia, falls this year on Monday, April 16. According to fed- eral law, District of Colum- bia holidays impact tax deadlines in the same way that federal holidays do; therefore, all taxpayers will have two extra days to file this year. Taxpayers requesting an extension will have until Oct. 15 to file their 2011 tax returns. The IRS expects to receive more than 144 mil- lion individual tax returns this year, with most of those being filed by the April 17 deadline. The IRS will begin accepting e-file and Free File returns on Jan. 17. Additional details about e- file and Free File will be announced later this month. IRS Free File pro- vides options for free brand-name tax software or online fillable forms plus free electronic filing. Everyone can use Free File to prepare a federal tax return. Taxpayers who make $57,000 or less can choose from approximately 20 commercial software providers. There's no income limit for Free File Fillable Forms, the elec- tronic version of IRS paper forms, which also includes free e-filing. The IRS also reminds paid tax return preparers they must have and include a Preparer Tax Identifica- tion Number (PTIN) on all returns they prepare. All PTINs must be renewed for 2012. Tax return preparers can obtain or renew PTINs online Assistance Options The IRS continues to focus on taxpayer service. The best way for taxpayers to get answers to their questions is by visiting the IRS website at IRS.gov. The IRS has updated the front page of the IRS web- site to make it easier for taxpayers to get key forms, information and file tax returns. The front page also has links to taxpayer- friendly videos on the IRS YouTube channel. More improvements are planned for IRS.gov in the months ahead. Last year, the IRS unveiled IRS2Go, its first smartphone application that lets taxpayers check on the status of their tax refund and obtain helpful tax information. The IRS reminds Apple users that they can download the free IRS2Go application by vis- iting the Apple App Store and Android users can visit the Android Marketplace to download the free IRS2Go app. Individuals making $50,000 or less can use the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program for free tax preparation and, in many cases, free electronic filing. Individuals age 60 and older can take advan- tage of free tax counseling and basic income tax preparation through Tax Counseling for the Elderly. Information on these pro- grams can be found at IRS.gov. For tax law questions or account inquiries, taxpay- ers can also call our toll- free number (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time) or visit a taxpayer assistance center, the locations of which are listed on IRS.gov. Virtual Service The IRS has begun a new pilot program where taxpayers can get assis- tance through two-way video conferencing. The IRS is conducting a limited roll out of this new video conferencing technology at 10 IRS offices and two other sites, and may expand to further sites in the future. A list of locations is avail- able on IRS.gov. Check for a Refund Once taxpayers file their federal return, they can track the status of their refunds by using the "Where's My Refund?" tool, which taxpayers can get to using the IRS2Go phone app or from the front page of www.IRS.gov. By providing their Taxpayer Identification Numbers, fil- ing status, and the exact whole dollar amount of their anticipated refund taxpayers can generally get information about their refund 72 hours after the IRS acknowledges receipt of their e-filed returns, or three to four weeks after mailing a paper return. What makes us ticklish is a mystery DEAR DOC- TOR K: I am a very ticklish per- son. My husband thinks it's hilari- ous how easy it is to make me giggle and squirm. What causes ticklish- ness? DEAR READ- ER: Ticklishness is indeed a myste- rious phenomenon, and not just for you. To this day, no one has adequate- ly answered the question of what causes it. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. whether laughter- associated tick- lishness is an uncontrollable reflex, something that is "hard- wired" inside us at birth. Many experts believe that is likely, but others think this kind of ticklish- ness is something When discussing tick- lishness, most people mean the kind that makes you laugh and squirm. Let's call this laughter- associated ticklishness. There's another type, like what happens when you run your fingernails light- ly over your skin. But I'll focus on the first, since you asked. Although there isn't a solid, science-based answer for why we're ticklish, that hasn't kept people from researching and speculating. Some of the top theories include these: — Tickling bonds peo- ple. A mom tickles her baby, the baby laughs, the mom smiles, and they share a happy moment together. Similarly, kids who tickle each other may bond over the experience. — Ticklish spots of the body, such as the abdomen or neck, tend to be more vulnerable. Learning to protect them from tickling as a child may help you protect them from harm. I doubt this theory, however. I think it has some holes in it. For example, the head and hands are particularly vul- nerable to injury, but they are not particularly tick- lish. — Increased skin sen- sitivity on certain areas of the body develops before birth to encourage a fetus to stay in the healthiest positions in the womb. This centuries-old theory doesn't seem to have any modern evidence to sup- port it. The biggest question is we learn as babies by interacting with our par- ents and others. My own guess is that both theories are true: We are born with a tendency to be ticklish, and then interactions with others reinforce that ten- dency. One interesting fact is that you can't tickle your- self. Once again, there is no convincing scientific data to explain this. If you try to tickle yourself, you'll know where and when it's going to happen, and that might cancel out the tickle. One idea is that, like your startle reflex, laugh- ter-associated tickling requires that you not know it's coming. Indeed, some studies have shown that people laugh more when they are blindfolded and don't know where or when they'll be tickled. However, I'm not sure I believe that theory, either. Even if I'm not surprised, even if I know that some- one is trying to tickle me, and then she does it — I still laugh. What about you? Why are we ticklish? Why do we yawn? Why do we yawn when we see someone else yawn? Why do we laugh at certain things? Why are so many adults — including big, powerful adults — terri- fied by tiny, non-poiso- nous spiders? There are so many things that seem to be part of being human that we don't even begin to understand. The ques- tion is: Do we need to? 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. Crabbers getting high price for catch CRESCENT CITY (AP) — After a delayed start to the Dungeness crab season fisherman off California's far north coast are hauling in lots of it, and getting a high price. Kevin Wilson, a man- ager for Nor Cal Seafood, tells The Del Norte Tripli- cate (http://bit.ly/AD2PIk ) that he unloaded a boat Sunday that had $60,000 worth of crab. January Classes Saturday 21st @10am Bare Root Fruit Tree Saturday 28th @10am Rose Pruning & Care Class Saturday, February 18th @10am Potato Class Please call to reserve a seat Red Bluff Garden Center 527-0886 766 Antelope Blvd. (Next to the Fairground) OVER 300,000 PAGE VIEWS PER MONTH! D NEWSAILY www.redbluffdailynews.com RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY Now! Print Daily News subscribers enjoy unlimited FREE website access 24/7! The season was delayed for six weeks after tests of the crabs were showing too little meat. More delays could be coming with storms expected through the weekend. While the fishermen are happy to get $3 per pound for their catch, Rick Harris of Pacific Choice Seafood in Eureka said it will translate to higher prices for consumers. Harris said the cooked crab market will require the highest sales price ''in history'' for retailers to be profitable.