Page 6C
East Oregonian
COFFEE BREAK
Saturday, February 21, 2015
DEAR ABBY
Teen seeks right approach
to gender-bending classmate
Dear Abby: I am 17 and a senior
may also think it would be disrespect-
in high school. During freshman year,
ful to the parents who raised them.
one of my classmates was a boy I’ll
Please don’t take it personally.
call “Alex.” This year, I have been
Dear Abby: I’m stuck in the mid-
told that Alex has changed his name
dle between my mom and my hus-
to “Aly,” a more feminine name. Aly
band, “Gary,” regarding a onesie my
now sometimes dresses like a girl and
brother bought for our daughter. Gary
sometimes like a boy.
is a die-hard Raiders fan. My mom
What gender should I refer to Aly
and brother love the Chargers. Mom
Jeanne
as? Would it be rude to ask my class- Phillips and my brother thought it would be
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funny to gift my daughter with a Char-
Advice
with? — Gender Dilemma
gers onesie. Mom asked me to have
Dear G.D.: Considering that Aly
my child wear it during the game.
could be in a process of transition, I not only
When I asked Gary what he thought, he got
don’t think the question would be rude, I think upset and said, “Please don’t do that. I don’t
it’s an intelligent one. If you ask your class- want your mom buying Chargers clothes
mate politely and privately, I’m sure Aly will thinking she can turn our daughter into a
be glad to answer.
Chargers fan.”
Dear Abby: I gave up a baby girl for adop-
Mom texted me for a photo of the baby
tion 29 years ago. I thought when she became wearing it. I said I was sorry, but her dad
an adult she would want to contact me, but doesn’t want her to wear it, and she got mad
I have heard nothing. I have known how to and said, “Whatever!” I can’t please everyone.
contact her for many years, but haven’t done What should I do? — Good Sport Out West
it because I didn’t want to intrude in her life. I
Dear Good Sport: Whether your mother
have left contact totally up to her if she choos- and your brother thought it would be funny
es.
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Like I said, so far I’ve heard nothing, and side the point. Your husband doesn’t see the
I’m just wondering why she wouldn’t want humor in it, so my advice is to let the child be
to contact me or know anything about me. — logo-free until she’s old enough to decide for
Wondering Bio-Mom
herself whom to support.
Dear Bio-Mom: Are you certain your
Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Bu-
daughter knows she was adopted? While ren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was
many adopted children want to know their founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Con-
birth parents, not all do because they don’t tact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or
feel anything is “missing” in their lives. They P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
DAYS GONE BY
100 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Feb. 21-22, 1915
W.D. Humphrey and F.E. Welch returned
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sured 22 inches. The day before Earl Kirk-
patrick caught one measuring 32 inches and
weighing ten pounds. The run of steelheads
entered the lower river several days ago and
conditions for angling there are said to be
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been caught within the last week and several
times many have been hooked and escaped.
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regulation trout tackle which has greatly in-
creased the sport.
50 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Feb. 21-22, 1965
A fad that has caught hold in the small
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short life. The fad is searching for Indian ar-
tifacts along the banks of the Columbia Riv-
er. It’s doomed because the John Day Dam
pool will cover the land in a few years and it’s
against the law to dig for historical artifacts
on municipal, state or federal lands. Proba-
bly none of the people who sift through the
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they are potential law breakers. The Nation-
al Parks Service and state archaeologists say
public digging for arrowheads along the Co-
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expeditions seeking the historical facts of the
region.
25 Years Ago
From the East Oregonian
Feb. 21-22, 1990
A dilapidated old house, which not only is
an eyesore but a potential safety hazard, has
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erating the process for taking possession of
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may follow the lead of Multnomah County in
adopting an ordinance that would reduce the
two-year foreclosed property redemption pe-
riod to 30 days in emergency situations. The
“Copage property” in Weston is an example of
the type of emergency that could be handled
with the ordinance, Jacki Haggerty-Foster,
county counsel, said. The owner of the house
is dead, and the last resident of the house ap-
parently locked several dogs inside before he
moved away. The dogs destroyed the house
before breaking out, Doug Olsen, the Weston
city attorney, told county commissioners.
Fearing potential liability, the city of Weston
would like to burn the house down, but they
need the county’s consent now that the fore-
closure process has begun, Olsen said.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
Today is the 52nd day of
2015. There are 313 days left
in the year.
Today’s Highlight in His-
tory:
On Feb. 21, 1965, black
Muslim leader and civil rights
activist Malcolm X, 39, was
shot to death inside Harlem’s
Audubon Ballroom in New
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members of the Nation of Is-
lam. (Three men — Talmadge
X. Hayer, Norman 3X Butler
and Thomas 15X Johnson
— were convicted of murder
and imprisoned; all three were
eventually paroled.)
On this date:
In 1437, James I, King of
Scots, was assassinated; his
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as James II.
In 1513, Pope Julius II,
who’d commissioned Michel-
angelo to paint the ceiling of
the Sistine Chapel, died nearly
four months after the project
was completed.
In 1613, Mikhail Roman-
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sen by Russia’s national as-
sembly to be czar, beginning
a dynasty that would last three
centuries.
In 1885, the Washington
Monument was dedicated.
In 1912, the Great Fifth
Ward Fire broke out in Hous-
ton, Texas; although property
losses topped $3 million, no
one was killed in the blaze.
In 1916, the World War
I Battle of Verdun began in
France as German forces at-
tacked; the French were able
to prevail after 10 months of
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In 1945, during the World
War II Battle of Iwo Jima, the
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Sea was sunk by kamikazes
with the loss of 318 men.
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port of Odessa.
In 1975, former Attorney
General John N. Mitchell and
former White House aides
H.R. Haldeman and John D.
Ehrlichman were sentenced to
2 1/2 to 8 years prison for their
roles in the Watergate cov-
er-up (each ended up serving
a year and a-half).
Today’s Birthdays: Zim-
babwe President Robert Mug-
abe is 91. Fashion designer
Hubert de Givenchy is 88.
Movie director Bob Rafelson
is 82. Actor Gary Lockwood
is 78. Actor-director Richard
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Lewis, D-Ga., is 75. Film/mu-
sic company executive David
Geffen is 72. Actor Alan Rick-
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musician Jerry Harrison (The
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er Mary Chapin Carpenter is
57. Actor Kim Coates (TV:
“Sons of Anarchy”) is 57. Ac-
tor Jack Coleman is 57. Actor
William Baldwin is 52. Rock
musician Tad Kinchla (Blues
Traveler) is 42. Actress Jenni-
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Ashley Greene is 28. Actress
Ellen Page is 28. Actress So-
phie Turner (TV: “Game of
Thrones”) is 19.
Thought for Today: “You
owe it to us all to get on with
what you’re good at.” —
W.H. Auden, Anglo-Ameri-
can poet (born this date in
1907, died 1973).