Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/6319
The most recent Elec- tronic Waste Collection Events brought Tehama County residents to four collection sites to dispose of their old televisions, computers, monitors and other small electronic items. More than 15,680 pounds of electronic waste was collected at the events held at various locations throughout the county Dec. 26 and Jan. 9. Additional electronic waste collection events will be held 8 a.m. to noon Jan. 30 and Feb. 27 at the Corn- ing Transportation Center, corner of Third and Solano streets, Corning and the Tehama County Depart- ment of Social Services, 310 Main St., Red Bluff. Waste Tire Products of Orland provided the vehi- cles and manpower to han- dle all the materials collect- ed. The company is a certi- fied recycler of electronic waste and all the material collected is properly dis- posed of or recycled. The electronics are dismantled; the glass and cathode ray devices are recycled through a state program. The metals are recovered and used locally or sold. The toxicity is due to lead, mercury, cadmium and a number of other sub- stances. These events continue to be successful due to the united efforts of the Tehama County/ Red Bluff Landfill Agency, Tehama County Department of Social Services, Waste Tire Products of Orland and the city of Corning. For information about recycling events, please call 528-1103 or check the event calendar at www.tehamacountyland- fill.com. Wednesday, January 27, 2010 – Daily News – 3B Dear Annie: I have four grown children. However, I am not entirely certain that my second daughter is my biological child. Around the time she was conceived, my wife had an affair with my brother-in-law. Before my wife passed away, she swore that daughter was mine, but I can see no trace of myself in her or in any of her off- spring. My other three chil- dren bear a strong physical resemblance to me, and so do their children. I realize it is not her fault if she is not my child, and I would not treat her or her children any differently. But before I die, I would like to know the truth. Is there any way I could secretly obtain a DNA speci- men from her to do a test? No mat- ter which way it turns out, I would share the results with no one. — Tennessee Dear Tennessee: There are ways to get specimens, but we are asking you not to do this. It will only bring you peace of mind if you discover she is indeed your biological child. Regardless of your promise, if you find out she is not yours, you may not be able to treat her the same. Keeping the secret will create stress and could undermine the relation- ship you now have. The only valid reason for doing a DNA test is to provide your daughter with an accu- rate medical history, but if you don't plan to inform her, this doesn't apply. We urge you to convince yourself she is yours and believe it with all your heart, because in the most important sense, it is true. Dear Annie: My cousin likes the same guy I like. She actually liked him first, but I've really fallen hard for him. I've known ''Justin'' for two years, and he has told me that he really likes me, too. We enjoy being together, but my cousin insists they're ''meant for each other.'' I've tried to tell her that Justin and I are happy with each other, but she always starts crying. Justin said he's flattered by her attention, but he doesn't feel the same way about her. He says I'm his ''future girl- friend.'' I'm afraid to bring it up with my cousin and tell her about my feel- ings because she has a bad habit of spreading rumors when she's upset. I don't want to go down that road again. Should I just come out and tell her? — Justin's Girl Dear Justin's Girl: There's no reason for you to bring it up at all. Your cousin has a crush on Justin. It's up to him to let her know whether he's interested or not. If you become overly involved explaining things, your cousin will hold you responsible for whatever happens. It would help if she could focus her romantic interests on someone else, and maybe you could gently push her in another direction. Dear Annie: I read the letter from ''Uncomfortable Stepmom,'' whose 40-something stepson has the nervous habit of touching his crotch in public. When I was in elementary school, I once went to the bathroom and walked back into class with my zipper down. For days, other stu- dents made fun of me and ridiculed me. I am now 44 years old and have a great life, but to this day, I often check repeatedly to make sure my zipper is up — even in public. My girlfriend mentions it to me when I do it, but the fear of it being unzipped is still there. Perhaps the same thing happened to the stepson and he is just double-checking his zipper. — Making Sure Zipper Is Up Dear Making Sure: Your letter is proof that childhood teasing can last a lifetime. But please, try to double (or triple) check your zipper before you leave the men's room instead of groping yourself in public. 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. Need to know if daughter is really mine Annie's Mailbox by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar FEATURES DEAR DR. GOTT: I am a 7 2 - y e a r - o l d female with osteoporosis, for which I take Fos- amax; curvature of the spine from childhood; and arthritis in my right knee, right hip and in at least five spots on my spine. I also take medica- tion for gastroe- sophageal reflux dis- ease, irritable bowel syndrome, high choles- terol and severe sleeping problems. I'm 4 feet 5 inches tall (lost 2-1/2 inches to osteoporosis) and weigh about 160 pounds. In 2007, I took a nasty fall and hit the back of my head on the counter, drawer pulls and marble tile floors of my kitchen. I put ice on my head and went to my local pharmacist, who told me not to wash my hair for four days and everything would be fine. (We were on vacation on the island of Crete, and there were no doctors on call.) When I returned home, my doctor ordered an MRI, which was negative, but I now have a permanent soft spot on the back of my head. I later went to an ENT specialist, who ordered a balance test. It revealed my two eyes do not work together. I was found to have no depth perception. In 2008, while on vacation, I missed a step on the bus and fell onto the concrete pavement. The Budapest doctor on duty said I broke my arm and wrist, but he was more concerned about the large hematoma on my right forehead. I signed a waiver because I refused hospi- talization, got some ice for my head, and board- ed a plane back to the United States. The next day, my doctor ordered an MRI that again was negative. That same year, I got tangled up in the hose and cord of my vacuum cleaner at our house in Crete. My head hit the wall and immediately bled profusely in the area of the 2007 fall. I went to the pharmacist, who told me not to wash my hair for four days. On my return to the United States, I had a third MRI, which was nega- tive. In 2009, I missed the last step of a stool in my kitchen, hit my head, put ice on it, and went to a 24-hour clinic. I refused a CT scan and had tests done to make sure that the arteries in my neck were not blocked. They weren't. I'm either the world's largest klutz or have the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Is there anything my doctors could have missed that would be appropriate to do now, two years later? Your thoughts would be appreciated. DEAR READER: Ini- tially, stay out of foreign countries and your kitchen, and wash your hair whenever you please! Seriously, though, I recommend you take all your X-ray films and written reports to a neurologist or neu- rosurgeon for a second opinion. You have certainly had an inordinate amount of head trauma, and there is always the possibility someone has missed something along the way. Rule out tumors, clots, abnormal- ities and blocked arter- ies. Then follow up with an ophthalmologist in regards to your eye situ- ation. A loss of depth per- ception could certainly be contributing to the falls. To provide related information, I am send- ing you copies of my Health Reports " Osteo- porosis" and "Sleep/Wake Disor- ders." Other readers who would like copies should send a self-addressed stamped No. 10 enve- lope and a $2 check or money order for each report to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title(s). Dr. Peter Gott is a retired physician and the author of the book "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Diet," available at most chain and i n d e p e n d e n t bookstores, and the recently published "Dr. Gott's No Flour, No Sugar Cookbook." Is clumsiness a medical problem? Dr. Peter Gott Telemarketing fraud alert on medical equipment The Social Security Act prohibits suppliers of durable medical equipment (DME) from making unso- licited telephone calls to Medicare beneficiaries regard- ing the furnishing of a covered item, except in three specific situations: (i) the beneficiary has given written permission to the supplier to make contact by tele- phone; (ii) the contact is regarding a covered item that the supplier has already furnished the beneficiary; or (iii) the supplier has furnished at least one covered item to the beneficiary during the preceding 15 months. The act prohibits payment to a supplier that know- ingly submits a claim generated pursuant to a prohibit- ed telephone solicitation. Accordingly, such claims for payment are false and violators are potentially subject to criminal, civil and administrative penalties, includ- ing exclusion from Federal health care programs. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has received credible information that some DME suppliers contin- ue to use independent marketing firms to make unso- licited telephone calls to Medicare beneficiaries to mar- ket DME. Suppliers cannot do indirectly that which they are prohibited from doing directly. OIG has also been made aware of instances when DME suppliers contact Medicare beneficiaries by tele- phone based solely on treating physicians' preliminary written or verbal orders prescribing DME for the bene- ficiaries. A physician's preliminary written or verbal order is not a substitute for the requisite written consent of a Medicare beneficiary. Except in the three specific circumstances described above, unsolicited telemarketing by a DME supplier to Medicare beneficiaries is prohibited, whether contact with a beneficiary is made by the supplier directly or by another party on the supplier's behalf. A supplier is responsible for verifying that market- ing activities performed by third parties with which the supplier contracts or otherwise does business do not involve prohibited activity and that information pur- chased from such third parties was neither obtained, nor derived, from prohibited activity. If a claim for payment is submitted for items or ser- vices generated by a prohibited solicitation, both the DME supplier and the telemarketer are potentially liable for criminal, civil and administrative penalties for causing the filing of a false claim, as well as crimi- nal and civil penalties for using interstate telephone calls in furtherance of schemes to defraud. If you have information about DME suppliers or telemarketers engaging in any of the activities described above, call the San Francisco regional office of OIG, U.S. Department of Health and Human Ser- vices, at 415 437-7961. Recycling opportunities for residents If you go... What: eWast collection When: 8 a.m. to noon, Saturday and Feb. 27 Where: Red Bluff and Corning