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Thursday, March 15, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Cyber suitor spawns serious suspicions Dear Annie: A year ago, my daughter met a man over the Internet. That's fine, but I have the follow- ing issues: 1. She wants to marry him without actually having met him in person. 2. He is from a foreign country where the customs are vastly different from ours. 3. I worry that he will take advantage of her just to remain in this country. Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar My daughter says I am con- cerned for no reason. She is 30 years old and has lived in a small town most of her life. How do I deal with this appropriately? — Unsure Mom Dear Mom: All of your issues are valid and worth discussing. However, your daughter is 30 years old. If she chooses to go into mar- riage without meeting the man or learning more about him and his culture, there's not much you can do to stop her. Stay neutral. Suggest that he come for a visit, saying you are eager to meet him and want to give them an engagement party. Then do so. We hope he is every- thing she dreams of because the downside is rather unpleasant to contemplate. Dear Annie: Is it acceptable for kids to send thank-you notes via email? I was brought up in a more tradi- tional way, where thank-you notes were always handwritten. Of course, back then, emails were not an option. Frankly, I think any thank you is better than no thank you, and getting my kids to sit down and write notes by hand takes forever, and I'd like them sent in a timely fashion. I'm sure my kids would be more willing to send a quick note via email, but I'm conflicted as to whether that's acceptable or not. — Mom in Connecticut Dear Mom: Good news! Yes, email thank-you notes are acceptable, especially if that is the best you're going to get. Please make sure your children understand that the note still has to be appropri- ate and appreciative. But we also hope you will continue to demon- strate to your children how much nicer it is to receive a personal handwritten note. This should not be a dying art. Dear Annie: ''Upstate New York'' wrote that their teenage babysitter drove his kids to a local ice cream place without permission. He fired her with payment, the girl's mother got involved, and now they aren't speaking. I am a retired New York state trooper. In this state, it is illegal for a newly licensed 17-year-old to drive younger children without a parent in the car. Many states now have a type of ''graduated licens- ing,'' whereby as teens age and gain experience, they are allowed to have more people in the car. This babysitter made a conscious choice to drive those children with- out permission from the parents. I am positive the parents would have said ''no'' to this little trip. Instead, this devious girl put the children at risk. If there had been an accident, not only would the teen face charges, but her parents might have been held legally liable because she drove their car. Several years ago, a young babysitter and her boyfriend loaded two young children into her car without the mother's permission. They went for a ride on some back- country roads where there had been recent flooding. Part of the road gave way, and the car plunged down a culvert into the river. Everyone in the car was killed. Upstate doesn't owe that girl any money. She and her mother owe the kids' family an apology and should be grateful he didn't report her to the police. We need to be vigilant when it comes to the safety of chil- dren. — Retired NYSP Dear Tracy Ayers: We are in agreement that the girl was clearly in the wrong. However, we don't believe she was being devious. We think she is immature and showed extremely poor judgment. We are thankful no one was hurt. 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. New guidelines for low-income child lunches SACRAMENTO— More low-income families will be able to afford healthy meals and snacks for their children in day care under new income eligibili- ty guidelines announced Wednesday by State Super- intendent of Public Instruc- tion Tom Torlakson. Under the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), funded by the U.S. Department of Agri- culture (USDA), families with children in child care centers can qualify for free or reduced-price meals if their household income is equal to or less than the income eligibility guide- lines. Nearly 5,000 local day care centers and 17,000 sponsored family day care home providers in Califor- nia participate in the CACFP. "At the heart of my Team California for Healthy Kids initiative is that a well- nourished child has a better shot at success inside and outside the classroom than a child struggling with hunger," Torlakson said. "I urge every family to review these new guidelines to see if they qualify to get their children nutritionally bal- anced meals and snacks. This will help kids develop lifelong habits of healthy eating and set the stage for their academic success in school." The CACFP provides nutritious food to infants, children, and adults. All children enrolled in day care homes receive meals at no charge. Most participating day care centers also pro- vide meals at no charge. In centers that have a separate charge for meals, partici- pants may receive free or reduced-price meals. The new income eligibil- ity scales are higher than last year, meaning more families with children in child care centers will be eligible for free and reduced-priced meals. For example, a family of four that earns $29,055 or less a year (up from $28,665 last year) can qualify for free meals and snacks. Also, a family of four that earns $41,348 or less a year (up from $40,793 last year) can qualify for reduced-priced meals and snacks. Children who receive Vasectomies intended to be permanent DEAR DOC- TOR K: My wife and I don't want any more chil- dren, so I've scheduled a vasectomy. What will happen dur- ing the proce- dure? DEAR READ- ER: A vasectomy is a minor surgi- cal procedure that will make you unable to father any more chil- dren. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. utes. The report- ed success rates are 98 percent — very good, but not perfect. Not surprisingly, the surgeons who do the most proce- dures seem to have the best batting average. Look for a sur- geon who does California Work Opportuni- ty and Responsibility to Kids, CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps), Food Distri- bution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR), Kin- ship Guardianship Assis- tance Payment Program, Head Start, Early Head Start, or the Even Start Pro- gram are automatically eli- gible for free meal benefits. Adults who receive Cal- Fresh, FDPIR, Social Secu- rity Income, or Medicaid benefits are also eligible for free meals. Institutions serve meals to all partici- pants regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability. For more informa- tion, visit cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/rs/scal es1112.asp. LM Chamber introduces improved website The Los Molinos Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce the unveiling of its newly updated website — www.losmochamber.com. The chamber welcomes the community to visit the new site and check out some of the events. The site enables its members to better know what is happening with the chamber, the town and the community. It is an up to the minute responsive site for anything happen- ing. The chamber wants to get the word out so more community members will allow it to add items to the calendar, add pictures, spread news and events more than ever. The site is interactive. Click on everything to see the D NEWSAILY AUTO ROUTE RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY DRIVERS WANTED Los Molinos & Gerber areas changes. New members are actively being sought, volunteers for upcoming events are an important resource as this year the chamber plans some new events and is excited to continue growing and improving. The chamber email has changed to lmcoc2012@gmail.com. The sperm that is ejaculated during sex travels through two tubes, one on either side of the scrotum, the sac that contains the testi- cles. Each tube is called the vas deferens. The tubes run from the testi- cles (where sperm is formed) to a storage area where the sperm are mixed with semen. That storage area then emp- ties into the penis. A vasectomy cuts or blocks the vas deferens. As a result, no sperm reach the storage area, and none are ejaculated. Vasectomies are usu- ally done as an outpa- tient procedure. The procedure requires no preparation on your part. Your doctor will give you a local anesthetic to numb your scrotum. In a traditional vasec- tomy, the surgeon uses a scalpel to make one or two small cuts in the skin of your scrotum. Once the vas deferens are seen, they will be cut. The cut ends of the vas deferens tubes may tied, burned shut with a hot tool or blocked with surgical clips. (Just in case this sounds painful, remember that your scrotum is numbed — you won't feel any- thing.) The doctor then will close the small surgical cuts with two or three stitches. A less-invasive approach requires only tiny incisions. The sur- geon makes one or two punctures to access the vas deferens. Then the surgeon cuts or blocks each one. The puncture site is covered with a tiny dressing. No stitch- es are needed. The entire procedure takes only 15 to 30 min- 50 or more vasectomy procedures per year. After your vasectomy, you may experience some bruising and mild discomfort. This can be relieved with an athletic support, an ice pack and nonprescription pain medication. There should not be any change in your sex- ual desire or perfor- mance after the proce- dure. Indeed, some of my patients who have had a vasectomy tell me they feel that sex has improved because they no longer have the apprehension that sex may lead to an unplanned pregnancy. Typically, testing is done after vasectomy to confirm that the proce- dure has prevented sperm from entering the ejaculate. Over the years, con- cerns have been expressed that having a vasectomy might increase the risk for var- ious diseases. These concerns have proved to be false alarms. Keep in mind that a vasectomy is intended to be permanent birth con- trol. Special surgery can reverse a vasectomy, but success cannot be guar- anteed. If you have even the slightest doubt about ending your chances for future fatherhood, then consider another form of birth control. And don't forget that while you won't need to wear a condom for birth control after vasectomy, a con- dom still is important in protecting against sexu- ally transmitted dis- eases. 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. 3B Must be 21 or older & bondable. GREAT PAY Call or apply in person Circulation Dept. Red Bluff Daily News (530)527-2151 D NEWSAILY RED BLUFF TEHAMACOUNTY redbluffdailynews.com/jobs