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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 25, 2015)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • MONDAY, MAY 25, 2015 FEATURES Remember those who died Dear Readers: Memorial Day has become a three-day holiday of picnics and cookouts. But there is a reason for this commemoration, so please remember the service- men and women who died serving their country. Consider visiting a veterans hospital or military cem- etery and paying your respects. At 3 p.m. local time, the Na- tional Moment of Remembrance asks for 60 seconds of silence to remember U.S. service members who gave their lives in the line of duty. And if you have a flag, it is appropriate to display it at half- staff until noon. “Last Monday in May” by John T. Bird of Birmingham, Ala. We pause to remember those who died with so much courage so much pride. They’ll never come back but memories endure to remind us of freedom: frag- ile, pure. We’re worthy of their sacrifice if we pause each day not just on the last Monday in May. Dear Annie: Who decid- ed when someone becomes an adult? Legally, you can vote at Annie’s Mailbox Creators Syndicate Inc. Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar 18. You can obtain a gun or cig- arettes and sign up for the mili- tary without your parents’ per- mission. But you can’t drink until age 21. Who makes these rules? My 18-year-old son recently needed surgery. When I called with a question about the bill, the doctors and hospital staff refused to answer me. I was told no one could speak to me because my son is an adult. I politely said, “Excuse me, but that ‘adult’ is still in high school and lives in my home, and I am paying the bill.” This very same “adult” can’t keep his room clean, yet he is responsible for making sure his medical expenses are billed cor- rectly? And he’s supposed to pay them promptly from his mini- mum-wage part-time job? My son can stay on my medical insurance until he is 26, but I can’t ask a question? They say it’s for rea- sons of privacy, yet this “adult” boy walked through the living room in his underwear last week, and any idiot can find lots of per- sonal information about him on the Internet. And if an 18-year-old is re- sponsible for his medical bills, why does the college look at my income when he requests finan- cial aid? When these children learn to be responsible for their own expenses, they will become real adults in the real world. While there is no age at which ev- eryone will be mature, we should at least make the laws equal. Any suggestions? — A. Dear A.: Well, you could write to your congressperson about changing the laws. We agree that some seem arbitrary. Nonethe- less, HIPAA grants medical pri- vacy to all adults, and there are valid reasons for this. The way to get information for your son is to ask him to give his physician written consent for you to have access to his medical records and information. If he expects you to pay the bills, he should be happy to do this. FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH STONE SOUP B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE 5A Tomorrow’s horoscope By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Those close to you will sense how you’re feeling. Then again, so will complete strangers, and per- haps with even more accuracy. If influenc- ing others is on the agenda, be sure to put yourself in a terrific mood before you leave the house. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). There’s a chant inside you, a mantra repeated from morning to night, waxing and waning in in- tensity throughout the day. This inside talk is not necessarily true. Challenge it. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). When you reach out in joy and curiosity, life meets you with enthusiasm and inclusiveness. You don’t require the people you meet to delight you, but they will anyway! CANCER (June 22-July 22). The work you do today to accept your thoughts and manage your expectations will lead to your next leap in emotional maturity. It is said that the strong master others, but the powerful master themselves. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). Neutrality is not negativity. Don’t confuse the two. Some- one’s neutral feelings toward you could turn positive with a smile and a kind word. Try that before you assume a person doesn’t like you. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). Do birds change their tune? Sure, they do it all the time in their efforts to communicate clearly to one another. You’ll change your tune, too. It’s not duplicitous; it’s accommodating. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). The things that seem like tiny coincidences are not. They are evidence of your role in a larg- er web of consciousness. When what you think of materializes in some funny way, it’s a wink from the universe to you. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). Your social icebreaker will be a joke that’s self-deprecat- ing, but only slightly. Go too far with that, and it seems disingenuous. Tonight, what’s fun is also good for you. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). Crush- es are not only for schoolgirls. They’re for anyone who’s ever been infected by someone’s person and gotten carried away with the impression in spite of themselves. Someone’s crushing on you now. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). You can always reinvent yourself, but it’s more diffi- cult in familiar settings. That’s why the new environment today is an opportunity not to be missed! AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ve been an angel before. Remember when you appeared at the right time to help some- one? You’ll be an angel again as you stay aware of your environment and respond accordingly. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). There’s no need to swim upstream right now. There’s a time to find your inner salmon, but this isn’t it. You’re not being called back to the shore where you were born, so float along today. TUESDAY’S BIRTHDAY (May 26). James Carville said, “The best time to plant an oak tree was 25 years ago. The second best time is today.” You’ll seize your mo- ments to lay down your legacy. Compassion will guide your choices this summer. You’ll create, make more money and grow your family. September and January bring a call to adventure. Scorpio and Leo people adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 40, 17, 30, 28 and 19.
