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Wednesday, February 1, 2012 – Daily News 5A FEATURES Gifter grafts generosity Dear Annie:My husband and I moved from Alaska to Hawaii a year ago to help a friend who is suffering with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease). ''John'' promised to pay my husband $120 a day if he would leave his job and act as care- giver. My husband agreed, and he not only helps with all his physical therapy, but also takes him to all doctor and other appoint- ments. We have taken care of his vacation rental business, repairs on his house, landscaping and general upkeep. We also have cooked all his meals for the past 10 months. Six weeks ago, John was in a hos- pital 50 miles away, and we visited almost daily to help with his physical therapy. On days when we couldn't be there, we sent others to keep him company. While he was in the hospi- tal, John gifted us with $21,000 for a piece of land he sold. We've spent $2,000 of it on his bills, brakes for his car, medications, etc. Now that he is home, he says he Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar was too generous and wants the money back. So far, we've returned $12,000. Annie, we have never been paid a dime for our services, includ- ing the daily $120 he promised my husband. John is angry and mean- DANA POINT (AP) — Legendary rocker Neil Young took his campaign for higher-fidelity digital sound to the stage of a technology conference Tuesday, saying a giant of the industry was on his side: the late Steve Jobs. Young said the Apple co-founder was such a fan of music that he didn't use his iPod and its digitally com- pressed files at home. Instead, he used a physical format well-known to have better sound. ''Steve Jobs was a pioneer of digi- tal music. His legacy is tremendous,'' Young said. ''But when he went home, he listened to vinyl (albums).'' Young told the ''D: Dive Into Media'' conference Tuesday that he spoke with Jobs about creating a for- mat that has 20 times the fidelity of files in the most current digital for- mats, including MP3. Such a format, he said, would con- tain 100 percent of the data of music as ST. LOUIS (MCT) — As the boy wizard in a bil- lion-dollar movie franchise, Daniel Radcliffe grew up before our eyes. But a decade after entering Hog- warts, the actor, now 22, has graduated from Harry Potter to adult roles. Most notably, he starred in a stage production of "Equus" in his native Lon- don and New York for which he flashed his physique. Soon he'll begin work on "Kill Your Dar- lings," a true-life murder story in which he co-stars as poet Allen Ginsberg. And he's promoting the Gothic horror movie "The Woman in Black," which opens Friday. Recently we spoke to Radcliffe by phone from New York, where he was completing a spirited and rages against everyone. He accuses us of stealing and lying. My husband is a saint with the patience of Job. John doesn't have much longer to live. We will continue to help, but I believe this latest attempt to take back the money is a form of abuse. He has more than enough financial resources. What shall we do? — Gifted or Not Dear Gifted: You and your hus- band have been kind and generous. In the later stages of his disease, John may not only be depressed. He also may not be thinking clearly. Please forgive his rants, but protect yourself in case you are held liable for the remaining disputed money. Keep itemized lists of what you have spent the ''gift'' on, what you have paid for John's benefit out of your own pock- et, and the amount he promised to pay your husband for his care. And talk to a lawyer as soon as possible. Dear Annie: I am in my early 60s, fairly attractive and happily married. My job requires me to travel and meet salespeople, and they are usually men. The agenda includes an occa- sional business lunch or dinner. My problem is that every once in a while, one of these men — invariably a short, older, heavyset, balding guy — thinks he is the most attractive man alive and that I can't resist his charms. After our business dinner, he will give me a call late at night and ask, ''What are you wearing?'' Even though I make it quite clear it is created in a studio, as opposed to 5 percent in compressed formats including Apple's AAC. Each song would be huge, and a new storage and playback device might only hold 30 albums. Each song would take about 30 minutes to download, which is fine if you leave your device on overnight, he said. ''Sleep well. Wake up in the morn- ing. Play some real music and listen to the joy of 100 percent of the sound of music,'' he said. Although Young didn't have a practical plan for developing such a format — saying it's for ''rich people'' to decide — he said Jobs was on board with the idea before he died from can- cer at age 56 in October. ''I talked to Steve about it. We were working on it,'' Young said. ''You've got to believe if he lived long enough he would eventually try to do what I'm trying to do.'' successful run on Broad- way in the musical "How to Succeed in Business (With- out Really Trying)." Q: Although this movie is your first adult role, it isn't the first time you've worn Victorian garb. When are you going to do a whole movie in blue jeans? A: I know! I hope that at some point in my life, I'll do something contemporary. But I'm not complaining, because I love that steam- punk aesthetic and those old costumes. If I could wear them every day with- out getting beat up, I would. Q: And you must enjoy exploring haunted man- sions. A: Indeed. The new movie is a supernatural thriller about a young lawyer whose wife died in Scam Learn more Visit redbluffdailynews.com for a regularly updated list of scam alerts and tips to help avoid getting swindled. to these guys that I am married and not interested in them, what kind of idiotic, inappropriate question is that? It might work when you're paying for phone sex, but rest assured, the woman on the other end of that line is probably clipping her toenails. Please tell them this question will put an end to any potential relationship. — Amazed in Honolulu Dear Honolulu: We agree that this question is both inappropriate and idiotic to direct at someone you have just met at a business dinner. These guys must be desperate for female attention and clueless about how to get it. Dear Annie: I have another story about having the same name as some- one's pet. My name is ''Theresa,'' and while at a barbecue at a friend's house, I found out her dog has the same name. It was funny to watch both of us respond every time someone called ''Theresa,'' with me saying, ''Yes?'' and the dog going, ''Woof.'' We all laughed about it, and she was such a cute dog that it did not matter to me one bit. — Vermont 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. Neil Young: Steve Jobs listened to vinyl Young's opinion of Jobs was con- firmed by interviewer Walt Mossberg, a journalist with News Corp.'s All Things D website, which has hosted Jobs at its conferences before. Mossberg said Jobs in the past expressed surprise that ''people traded quality, to the extent they had, for con- venience or price.'' Young, a 66-year-old singer and songwriter, was full of other surprising opinions, including his defense of recording labels such as his own Reprise Records, a unit of Warner Music Group Corp., as being a nurtur- er of artists, even as he said recording companies had botched the transition to digital music. Young also said that ''piracy is the new radio,'' suggesting that illegally copying low-quality songs was an acceptable way for fans to sample music before buying higher-quality versions. childbirth and left him to care for their young son. He is sent to a foggy estate to handle the affairs of a recently deceased woman and is made the target of a very angry ghost. It's pretty frightening, but it was great fun to make, actually. Q: There are a lot of old dolls in this mansion. Did they give you the creeps? A: I'm not afraid of old dolls individually, but antique dolls en masse are very creepy. Especially when they move about. Q: You've been making movies since you were a child, so when you watch movies as a consumer, can you still be scared by them, or do you notice all the tricks? A: When I first start making films, I was obsessed with how special effects were achieved. I remember watching the brilliant opening battle sequence of "Gladiator" and thinking: That must have taken ages to make, and a lot of money. But now I can just sit back and enjoy things like everyone else. Q: Now that the Potter series is over, do you have more time for your own amusements? A: Not really. After the last Potter film, I had about a month and a half break, but I spent it preparing for this film and for my role Treating tennis elbow requires patience DEAR DOCTOR K: I'm an avid tennis play- er. Unfortunately I've developed tennis elbow. What can I do to treat this problem? And how can I make sure it won't return? DEAR READER: "Tennis elbow" is one of the many minor mal- adies of man that have not been studied as seri- ously as they should be. So what is tennis elbow? Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. Let's start with a little anato- my. Hold your right arm out in front of you, with the palm up. Now with your left hand, grab underneath your right elbow. The fingers of your left hand should feel a hard, bony, round bump on the outer part of your right elbow. That's where the pain is, right? Tendons from muscles that move your right wrist and fingers attach to that hard, bony bump. Tendons are tough, flexible, fibrous bands of tissue that connect muscles to bones. When ten- dons become inflamed or suffer tiny tears, the condi- tion is called tendonitis. Many cases of tendonitis (like yours) are caused by repeating a particular body motion too often. People who play racquet sports often injure the tendons in this part of the elbow. As you've experienced, tennis elbow causes pain on the outer side of the elbow joint, possibly extending down to your forearm and wrist. Your elbow may also feel weak. I tell my patients that they need to rest the injured area. For sure, that means no ten- nis for at least a month, and often more. Sometimes the pain is caused by simple everyday activities (not just tennis). If so, patients often benefit from a brace or splint to protect the injured area from more injury. To relieve pain and swelling, I suggest ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), aspirin or another nonprescription anti- inflammatory medication, possibly for up to several weeks. For more serious cases, a corti- costeroid drug or local anes- thetic can be injected into the affected tendon. Your doctor may also refer you to a phys- ical therapist for more spe- cialized treatments, such as deep heat to the elbow. This therapist may also prescribe a rehabilitation program to help you to regain strength, motion and function. Once your tennis elbow has healed, take the follow- ing steps to make sure it doesn't return: — Always warm up before beginning strenuous exercise. — Change to a racquet with a larger head (but make sure the new racquet is not heavier than the original). This cuts down on vibrations to the arm and may help to prevent re-injury. Back to our anatomy les- son: When you grabbed underneath your right elbow, the palm of your left hand probably also felt a hard, round bump on the inner sur- face of the elbow. Tendons from other muscles that move your wrist and fingers attach there. This spot is often injured by playing golf too much. That's called "golf elbow." Tennis elbow and golf elbow can be caused by repeated arm activities besides playing tennis and golf. Whatever the cause, there are treatments to ease the pain and return you to a sport you love. Just be patient. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School.Go to his website to send questions and get additional inf or mation: www.AskDoctorK.com. 'Harry' leaves Hogwarts behind for a career in adult projects (on Broadway) in "How to Succeed in Business." I've always found time to go to the cinema, but I literally cannot remember the last time I was able to go to a club and see a band, although I've been to the Reading music festival sev- eral times. Q: Have you gotten to travel much? A: Last year for my birthday I spent a week in Russia, which is a country I always wanted to visit. But I'm not interested in going to hot countries and just laying on the beach. I don't know how to relax, and I don't particularly enjoy it when people try to make me. If I'm going to travel, I'd rather do it for work. Q: When you're out in public, does it still astonish you to see your own image on billboards or magazine covers? A: I'm used to it by now, but I do enjoy the effect that it has on other people. A fellow from "How to Suc- ceed" went on holiday in the Caribbean and he said that the first thing he saw when he got to the hotel was a cardboard cut-out of me. And I thought: Wel- come to my world.