Decem ber 24. 200 3
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H ealth
I
F amily
Dear Deanna!
My husband o f 7 years left me fo ra
younger woman. He dogged me
and broke my heart but I’m over it.
The problem is now w ith this
woman. H e’s putting her through
the sam e dram a he put me through
and she calls me for advice. The
first ti me I tolerated her because she
caught me o ff guard. I’m at the
point where I ’ m ready to tell her she
reaped what she sow ed but I can ’t
do it. W hy? -L eslie D.; Boston,
MA
Dear Leslie:
R eal P e o p le, R eal Advice
You can definitely say she got what
she deserved. I guess your hus­ .t.vA Deanna! is an advice
band saw the grass w asn't greener
coin inn known fo r its
on the other side (hee. hee hee).
fearless approach to
W hen she calls again, let her know
reality based snh/ects!
in your sweetest voice you appre­
ciate her seeking your advice but
you had enough dram a from both o f them to last a lifetime. Share some
words o f wisdom that if a married man cheats on his wife, h e’ll cheat on
anybody and keep it moving.
Dear Deanna!
My boyfriend is pressuring me to co-sign for a car loan because his
credit is messed up. I d o n ’t feel secure doing this because our
relationship "ain ’t all that" if you know what I mean. He hasn’t put a
ring on my finger and he doesn’t pay his bills on time. I love him but
not enough for bad credit. -Donna; Great Falls, SC
Dear Donna:
D on’t sign anything for him except a greeting card. If you get this car
for him and end up behind the eight ball— stuck with the payments,
you’ 11 be ruined. No more credit, hard to open a checking account and
what happens if you want a new car? The best thing you can do is steer
him to a credit counselor because if h e’s forcing you, then I smell a rat
and you should too.
Dear Deanna!
I’m a white guy and I’ve been seeing a black lady for a year. Foraw 'hile
I thought she was still creeping with herex-boyfriend w h o 's also black.
Well, she has come up pregnant and she made a dram atic scene to make
the announcem ent. Cham pagne, dinner, baby booties the whole nine
yards. The only problem is I’m sterile. Should I tell her now or wait until
the bab y 's born to see if it’s black or mixed? -M ichael; Pittsburgh, PA
Dear Michael:
Is there a reason you d id n 't share your secret or is this your insurance
policy to test your w om an's faithfulness? Step up to the plate, lose the
cornbread games and put the fact you’re shooting blanks out there.
T here's always a possibility you could have received a blessing. Hang
in there and when the baby com es, regardless o f color, call Dana for
some assistance— oh yeah, Dana is— a DNA test.
Ask Deanna is written by Deanna M. Write Ask Deanna! Email;
askdeannal@yahoo.com or write: Deanna M. P.O. Box 88847, Los
Angeles, CA 90009
Loving Touch for Sm all Packages
Pediatric Surgeon Dr. Timothy Campbell dons a red suit and beard to visit with tiny Grace Rouse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit
at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Campbell and several o f his ‘elves' were at the center last Wednesday to give preemies
their first photos with Santa.
Health Tips to Prevent Spreading Flu
Cover you
cough, clean
your hands
Public health officials are
prom oting a sim ple concept,
“respiratory etiquette,” to re­
duce the p e rso n -to -p e rso n
spread o f respiratory infec­
tions such as influ en za or
SARS.
“ R espiratory etiquette d e­
scribes the kind o f polite so­
cial behavior your m other en ­
couraged: covering your mouth
when you cough or sneeze,
using tissues, and washing your
hands to prevent the spread of
illness,” said Dr. Gary Oxman,
a public health officer for
M ultnomah County.
O xm an has som e sim ple
suggestions to avoid sharing
germ s with those around you
and avoid the flu and other
respiratory illnesses:
First, you should cover your
nose and mouth with a tissue
when you cough or sneeze. If
you d o n ’t have a tissue, you're
advised to sneeze or cough
into your sleeve.
W ash y o u r h a n d s f r e ­
q u e n tly , e s p e c ia lly a f te r
coughing or sneezing. If soap
and w ater are not available,
use an alco h o l-b ased hand
cleaner.
Other tips include staying at
home when you are sick, avoid
touching your eyes, nose, or
mouth, and avoid close contact
with people who are sick, if
possible. People should not share
eating utensils, drinking glasses,
towels or other personal items
Holiday Alcohol Awareness Promoted
Portland Trail Blazer Jerome Kersey (left) and Les Youngbar, president o f the Oregon Partnership
board o f directors, promote safe and responsible alcohol use during the holidays at the Oregon
Liquor Control Commission in southeast Portland. Youngbar accepted an OLCC award on behalf o f
Judy Cushing, Oregon Partnership 's executive director, for her leadership in alcohol and drug
prevention.
TriMet Rides Free on New Year’s Eve
All T riM et rides are free after 6
p.m . on W ednesday, Dec. 31 for
New Y ear’s Eve and service I will
be extended on Max and 11 bus
lines until 3 a.m . to make it easy to
celebrate safely.
Blue and Red Line M ax trains
will run every 15 m inutes until I
a.m. Blue Line trains will then run
every 30 m inutes until 3 a.m.
The bus lines w ith 30-m inute
service ex ten d ed until 3 a.m . are
4-F essenden, 5 -Interstate, 8-N.E.
15th A ve., 9-P o w ell, I2 -B arb u r
B lvd., 14-H aw thorne, 15-N.W.
2 3 rd A v e ., I5 - B e lm o n t, 3 3-
M cL oughlin. 40 -T aco m a and 54-
B eaverton/H illsdale Hwy.
T riM e t e x p e c ts o n ly m in o r
im p a c ts o n s e r v i c e d u r in g
P o rtla n d ’s N ew Y e a r's Eve C e l­
e b ra tio n at P io n e e r C o u rth o u se
S q u are: B oth M ax sta tio n s at
P io n e e rC o u rth o u se S q u are w ill
be c lo s e d . A few bus sto p s on
S ix th A v en u e n e a r th e S quare
w ill also be c lo s e d d u rin g the
e v e n t.
O n N ew Y ear’s D ay Max and
buses run on Sunday schedules.
FOR MORE INFORMATION LOG ONTO
u fi.} •
If you are coughing and
sneezing and go to a medical
clinic, you may be asked to
w ear a mask.
“ I t’s very im portant for
people to get simple and con­
sistent messages on how to
prevent com m unicable d is­
eases,” said Nancy Church, a
nurse and infection control
practitioner in the Providence
H e a lth S y ste m . “ W e ’re
pleased that hospitals and pub­
lic health are working together
to protect the health o f our
patients and our communities.”