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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 23, 2016)
THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2016 Irritating leaf blowers Dear Annie: My mother has sanitation for more information. been dealing with her jerk of a Sure, “some people are just neighbor for too long, and I’m jerks” — but it’s fair for this one fed up. Every year, the leaves to get some blowback. fall from his trees, and rather Dear Annie: The letter from than mulch them like the rest of “Heartbroken Again,” whose the homeowners in the son has Asperger’s syn- DEAR neighborhood, he gets out drome, could be about his leaf blower and blows my son, except he ANNIE them into the road and received a traumatic beyond, to my mother’s brain injury nine years yard. Leaves cover the ago, when he was 16. He road lines. It’s slippery was a star athlete and one and dangerous. My sis- of the most popular kids ter called Highway Patrol in school until his injury. and reported this igno- He lost a lot of his peo- Lane rant neighbor, but the per- Annie ple skills. He, too, has Creators Syndicate Inc. son who answered simply had women at the college replied, “Some people are he is attending report him just jerks.” He’s going to cause as a stalker. What my son sees as an accident, and I’m ready to harmless flirting comes across as give him a piece of my mind. — creepy and inappropriate. Annoyed Daughter It culminated in his being Dear Annoyed: I assume charged with attempted kidnap- you’ve already tried talking to ping. He saw a girl crying while this man and he refuses to stop, walking down the street and asked leaving you with no other choice her what the matter was. She said than to contact authorities. her boyfriend had dumped her Record videos of him blowing and she was homeless. He asked leaves onto public property and whether she needed a ride, and your mother’s lawn so you have she declined. They talked for a some proof. Depending on where few minutes, and then he gave you live, he could be fined up to her a shoulder-to-shoulder hug $450. Call your department of and left. She called the boyfriend 5C FEATURES afterward, looking for some sym- pathy, and told him she had been accosted. He told her to call the police. She said my son had tried to pull her into his car. My son was arrested at gunpoint. The alleged “victim” posted on social media about how excited she was to be interviewed on TV. Fortunately, a nearby pedes- trian thought it was unusual for a guy to stop and talk to a cry- ing girl, so he videoed the entire encounter. Once the state attor- ney’s office saw the video, all charges were dropped. No crime had been committed. It was just a guy trying to console a cry- ing girl. It took about a week for the video to surface, and in the meantime, the rush to judgment on social media was unbeliev- able. He was called a rapist and worse, and his picture was plas- tered all over the evening news. He was afraid to go outside, and when he did, he was punched in the face by a guy who had seen the TV report. I agree with “Heartbroken Again” about how society treats people who are different. Thank goodness for the man who took the video. — William C. TOMORROW’S HOROSCOPE By Holiday Mathis, Creators Syndicate Inc. ARIES (March 21-April 19). Your instinct to interpret the world for your dear ones is admirable and necessary in the case of the young and the old. You can’t protect them from everything, but you can make life sweet- er by protecting them from some things. TAURUS (April 20-May 20). You’ll be the victor, not the victim. You’ll use what happens to create a wonderful win. Be patient. The turnaround will happen in a good time- frame even when it doesn’t happen in your timeframe. GEMINI (May 21-June 21). Don’t pass up the chance to see new environments. Beauty will inspire you and keep you producing and creating into the new year. Relationships will be your finest creations of all — well, co-cre- ations, anyway. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 21). It will be a day of role reversals. Men will act like little children, and little children will act like men. You can’t predict the outcome, and that’s part of the delight here. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21). The skills you’re honing this weekend are more im- portant than anything else you’ve dedicated yourself to before. Bringing people together in love and comfort is where the real sweet stuff of life comes in. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19). It’s com- forting to know the correct action, although not always so obvious what that is. You’ll be in a situation that seems to have no rules. It’s the perfect chance for you to set a standard for others. CANCER (June 22-July 22). You don’t have to worry about whether or not you’re allowed to do it this way or it’s proper to do it that way. Just do it the way you want to, and let the universe correct you if necessary. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18). You’ll pull off some amazing feats this weekend by putting some diligent work behind the talents you naturally possess. Then you’ll turn around and give most of credit to others, because you’re gracious that way. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22). This is a lucky day as far as social fun goes. The energy will center around you long enough for you to get your fill and not so long that you feel like a performing seal. PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20). A friend’s ges- ture prompts an emotional reaction that sur- prises both of you. You forget sometimes just how deeply you feel things. Your emotional flexibility and availability is a wonderful gift. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22). You’ll help people fall into the roles they are suited for. Mistakes will be corrected or compensated for, so don’t be too quick to judge today’s imperfect contenders. TOMORROW’S BIRTHDAY (Dec. 24). Not all that’s asked of you this year is fair, but life doesn’t have to be fair to be wonderful. You’ll meet the demands and show your super- human emotional strength. Fantastic news comes in January; there’s a windfall in June. Family ties will help you in a big way if you’re willing to take the help. Taurus and Gemini adore you. Your lucky numbers are: 3, 45, 39, 22 and 16. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23). Relationships are healing around you, and this will make for a nicer experience for you, too, even if you’re not directly involved in the healing process. Good vibes are contagious. FRANK AND ERNEST BLONDIE THATABABY SALLY FORTH PHOEBE AND HER UNICORN B.C. LOLA DILBERT SIX CHIX BIZARRO MUTTS NON SEQUITUR BABY BLUES WIZARD OF ID ZITS ROSE IS ROSE
