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Wednesday, July 18, 2012 – Daily News FEATURES Not sure if son is actually his have been married to an amazing woman for two years. I work away from home, and she manages to take care of every- thing and work full time. She also is a caregiver for her mother, and for this reason, we have decided to put off having children. I have a 4-year- old son with my ex. I pay regular child support, but until recently, I haven't been able to see much of him because of my schedule. Also, my ex is unco- operative. I recently found out some disturbing things about my son's home environment, and my family has sug- gested I ask for full custody. The prob- lem is that there always has been spec- ulation about whether the boy is really my biological child. My wife says she prefers to know he's mine before she undertakes such a huge responsibility. She will be raising the boy by herself while I am working out of state for months at a time. Dear Annie: I by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar want to know whether this is my child. I love him regardless, and if tests prove he isn't my son, I will never see him again. Is it fair of me to ask my wife to raise the boy anyway? — Still His Dad Dear Still: This is your son, legally But, Annie, I'm not sure I really Annie's Mailbox if not biologically. While it is asking a lot of your wife to take on this respon- sibility, we hope she will do so not only for your sake, but for the boy's. He needs a stable mother. Please look into getting some child care assistance for her so she isn't overwhelmed and resentful. But you should also get a paternity test. If this child is not yours, he should have his full medical history. Dear Annie: My husband's 35- year-old daughter, ''Effie,'' has a col- lege degree, but has never held a job. My husband sends Effie most of his Social Security check each month and also pays her credit card bills, which means he is now in debt to the tune of $10,000. When Effie visits, she makes a mess of the house and is disrespectful to me. She somehow manages to take several vacations a year. Now she wants my husband to foot the bill for an expen- sive wedding, and he's agreed. He also agreed to continue supporting her after she marries. Because the wedding is in our state, Effie wants to stay in our house for several weeks before the wedding. I don't think I can take it. My husband is entirely in her corner difficult to cut the financial apron strings, and divorced parents often are particularly indulgent in an attempt to compensate. This hurts the kids in the long run, creating dependence and pro- longed adolescence. Nonetheless, if your husband refuses to change his tac- tics with Effie, there is nothing you can do about her. Counseling is often help- ful, but you also might consider taking your own vacation while Effie is in your house. Dear Torn: Many parents find it ''Single'' wrote in saying he has trou- ble meeting women who don't have a lot of baggage. Dear Annie: I was surprised that I am a single parent with two amaz- ing children, and I have the same prob- lem. Men on Internet dating sites all seem to be infatuated with the physical side of the relationship, which is sec- ondary to me. I want a decent guy who is willing to be my friend first. In five years, my children will be out of the house, and I would love to have an established relationship going into the empty nest syndrome. — Patient in Arizona and believes his relationship with her is perfectly normal. He's been unwell, and I hate making things worse for him, but I can't hold in this anger and disappointment much longer. I keep asking myself whether I'd be better off without him, but I don't know the answer. — Torn in Tallahassee 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. The speculation rises over Batman's fate (MCT) —We haven't seen "The Dark Knight Rises," the final installment of director Christopher Nolan's blockbuster Batman trilogy. We don't know any- thing about the movie that's not in the trailers. We have no idea what Batman's fate is in the final scene. For all we know, DC's ate a story to explain why he's still alive or how he came back." Movies, however, don't famed superhero could retire from crime-fighting, settle down with Catwoman and spend the rest of his days on Facebook describ- ing what he had for lunch and declining friend requests from Marvel's Iron Man and Thor. avoid playing the guessing game that is sweeping the nation: When the movie ends, what happens to Bat- man? Will he live? Will he die? Does he continue to watch over Gotham City? Or is he passing the torch (or cowl) to a replacement? But that's no reason to The topic has more buzz to it than the muffled voice emanating from the evil Bane's facemask. Since the director has made it clear that he's making only three Batman movies, speculation is flying on how he'll con- clude his opus. Potential spoiler alert: What follows are mere guesses and possible clues to the ending. The celebrat- ed endings of other movies also will be examined, along with classic Hollywood films that dared to kill off their heroes. Who knows what's in store? In 2008's "The Dark Knight," Bruce Wayne, a k a Batman, told Rachel Dawes: "You know that day that you once told me about, when Gotham would no longer need Batman? It's coming." Maybe that day is Friday, when "The Dark Knight Rises" opens. The world awaits the answer. les Times that one of the goals of his new movie is delivering "a unified state- ment, a real ending, a true conclusion." So what does that mean for Batman? The trailers for the new movie certainly are packed with ominous dialogue. Nolan told the Los Ange- movie's villain and the char- acter who once broke Bat- man's back in the comic books, says, "When Gotham is ashes, you have my permission to die." Another trailer has Cat- In one of them, Bane, the were in a tizzy after David Letterman, while discussing the movie with Hathaway, said that "in the end, Batman is dead." The CBS "Late Show" host took it back immediately with a laugh and told viewers, "He ain't dead; just relax, will ya?" Hathaway jokingly chid- ed Letterman with, "I just want you to know the wrath that you have just invited onto yourself." And she was right, Web-wise. The buzz then bubbled online: Was it a joke or a spoiler? Over at Big Ben's Comix Oasis in Allen Park, Mich., the possibility of Batman kicking the bucket is getting mixed reviews from fans. "Some of my newer readers are going for it, and some of my older readers who've been reading Bat- man for years are not so happy about it," says man- ager Gary Banac. Banac himself is skepti- cal of the theory. "You wouldn't want to kill off your No. 1 comic-book guy," he muses. "If they do kill him off, they need to have the Lazarus Pit in the background or something, and that's just for comic- book fans and geeks. They would know what that means." (In Batman comic books, Lazarus Pits are nat- ural pools composed of a substance with healing and resurrecting powers.) Another popular guess is that Batman will retire and hand over his cape and cowl to a successor. Dan Mishkin, a former MCT provided photo Bane takes on Batman in "The Dark Knight Rises." writer for DC Comics who worked for many of its titles (including Batman and Superman), envisions Joseph Gordon-Levitt's character — named John Blake (and rumored on the Web to actually be Dick Grayson, a k a Robin and Nightwing) — taking over as the new Batman. But the Gordon-Levitt character wouldn't necessar- ily have the anger and vigi- lante thirst that has been a motivating force for Bruce Wayne as Batman. He could be "the Bruce Wayne who gets it right because he's not obsessed," says Mishkin. Comic-book writer Rob Worley ("Scratch9") also predicts a transition to a new Caped Crusader. He thinks Batman will retreat after some sort of decisive victory by Bane (Tom Hardy) and leave Gordon-Levitt's char- acter to take over his duties. "I think what the movie ends up with is the Christian Bale character takes the mantle back, but there's sort of a passing of the torch. ... So there's this set up to con- tinue the franchise, without Christopher Nolan or Chris- tian Bale," says Worley. In the world of comic books, it's not unusual for characters like Superman to be bumped off and then brought back to life — with a creative explanation. Espe- cially in DC and Marvel superhero comics, "fans are really adamant that continu- ity be maintained," says Worley. "So if the character was killed, they have to cre- have such worries. This summer's "The Amazing Spider-Man" simply reboot- ed the franchise by going back to the origin story and using a new Spidey, Andrew Garfield, and new director, Marc Webb. Superman has had two recent remakes with 2006's "Superman Returns" starring Brandon Routh and the upcoming 2013 Super- man movie with new lead- ing man Henry Cavill. Whatever happens in "The Dark Knight Rises," fans assume there will be a non-Nolan Batman remake sooner rather than later. With Marvel's "The Avengers" earning more than a billion dollars world- wide, the pressure is on for DC to produce a Justice League ensemble film that would include Batman, Superman and other DC icons. Fans like Dan Merritt, owner of Green Brain Comics in Dearborn, Mich., are just hoping "The Dark Knight Rises" has a conclu- sion that ties up loose ends and completes the trilogy with a definitive, impressive exclamation point. And he wouldn't mind if Batman goes out on an upbeat note either. "I would really like to see him win in the end, right?" 3B Take precautions to avoid ticks that cause lyme disease DEAR DOCTOR K: My husband was just diagnosed with Lyme disease. Do I need to worry about catching it from him? DEAR READER: In short, no. Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria that is passed from insect to human by ticks. It can't be passed directly from human to human. Dr. K by Anthony L. Komaroff, M.D. The bacteria is transmit- ted primarily through deer ticks, either adult female deer ticks or their babies. These little "vampires" need to suck our blood to remain alive. They actually prefer to feast on deer, but when they're hungry and we're available, we'll do. Adult deer ticks are about the size of a poppy or sesame seed. When an infected tick feeds on you, enough bacteria can get into your body to cause Lyme disease. Lyme disease from another human, you can catch it from your pets. Ticks can jump onto your dogs and cats, make them sick (or not), and then the ticks can jump onto you. So if you live or visit near wooded areas where Lyme disease is prevalent, be alert for ticks on your body — even if you haven't gone into the woods yourself. The first sign of Lyme disease is usually a rash that gets larger and takes on the appearance of a bull's-eye — a red rash with a clear center. Early on, Lyme dis- ease makes people feel as though they have the flu. The bacteria can spread from the skin through your blood to other organs, including the joints, heart and brain. When this hap- pens, they can cause arthri- tis, slow heartbeat and neu- rological symptoms. Antibi- otics effectively treat most cases of Lyme disease. While you can't catch Lyme disease: — Wear light-colored clothing. Light colors make ticks easier to spot. — Tuck your pants inside your socks. This cre- ates a physical barrier against ticks. — Wear insect repellent. A repellent with a 30 percent to 40 percent concentration of DEET should keep ticks away. It should be sprayed on clothes, not on the skin. — Stay in the middle of the path. Avoid the kind of environment ticks live in: moist, often shady, wooded areas, with leaves, low-lying plants and shrubs. steps to avoid tick bites, and to find and remove any ticks that do get on your body. If you remove a tick early, say within 36 hours of the time it attaches itself to you, your chances of getting Lyme dis- ease are low (less than 1 in 100). To protect yourself from — Inspect yourself and your children, especially the legs and groin. Most ticks probably get picked up on the lower legs and then climb upward. — Remove gently. Use tweezers to grab the tick as close to the skin as possible. You can also use a needle to gently pry it off. Dr. Komaroff is a physician and professor at Harvard Medical School.To send questions, go to AskDoctorK.com, or write: Ask Doctor K, 10 Shattuck St., Second Floor, Boston, MA 02115. author, dies at 79 SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Considered a pioneer in the self-help genre aimed at helping readers become more productive in their lives, author Stephen R. Covey had an enormous impact on both the corporate world and the personal lives of millions. The well-known motivational speaker and author of the best-selling ''The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People,'' which sold more than 20 million copies in 38 languages, died Monday at a hospital in Idaho Falls, Idaho, due to complications from a bicycle accident in April, according to his family. ''In his final hours, he was surrounded by his loving wife and each one of his children and their spouses, just as he always wanted,'' the family said in a statement. He was 79. Covey was hospitalized in April after being knocked unconscious in a bike crash. Stephen Covey, '7 Habits' The spring and summer months are when you need to be most wary of deer ticks and the poten- tial for Lyme disease. The two most important things you can do are to take woman (Anne Hathaway) saying, "You don't owe these people any more. You've given them every- thing." And then Batman says, "Not everything. Not yet." On Thursday night, fans