ADVICE & PUZZLES
Page C6 • Saturday, May 24, 2014
8ASTROGRAPH By BERNICE BEDE OSOL Newspaper Enterprise Association
TODAY – You are in a high-energy cycle this year, so pushing ahead is a must. You will be able to choose the path that will bring the greatest rewards if you are determined to make things happen. Don’t waste time when pursuing your dreams. GEMINI (May 21-June 20) – Your insight and intelligence will leave a favorable impression. Do your best to build a solid base, and it will allow you to head in a direction that suits you. CANCER (June 21-July 22) – Don’t get conned into taking on someone else’s responsibilities. Whether the pressure is coming from friends or family, let everyone know that you can’t be bullied or coerced. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) – Lady Luck is in your corner. Self-improvement efforts will give you more confidence and the ability to sell your innovative ideas. Be proud of your achievements and prepare to show off a little. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) – Don’t be too quick to offer unsolicited advice. If you come off as a know-it-all, you may end up being saddled with projects that you don’t want. Offer positive suggestions. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 23) – There are many confusing changes going on around you. Trust your instincts. You will find the right path if you believe in your capabilities, talents and integrity. SCORPIO (Oct. 24-Nov. 22) – Don’t feel that you have to conform to the same schedule day after day. Put in extra time. Your boss will thank you, and you can accomplish a lot without the distraction of others. SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 23-Dec. 21) – If you are feeling sluggish, it’s because you aren’t devoting enough time to physical activity. Get out in the fresh air and play. A fitness challenge will promote energy and enthusiasm. CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) – Real estate deals look quite lucrative at present. First impressions will be very important. By spending a little cash, you can make some beneficial changes that could net a high return. AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 19) – You may be sabotaging your own happiness. Get out with friends to explore entertaining activities. Laughter really is the best medicine. A fun-loving attitude will attract positive attention. PISCES (Feb. 20-March 20) – Try to devise new means to increase your cash flow. You have several ideas worth marketing. Stick to a budget that is realistic, and forge ahead. ARIES (March 21-April 19) – Stifle your temper today. Take an honest look at your own shortcomings before you try to change someone else. Acceptance will be the key to avoiding discord. TAURUS (April 20-May 20) – Don’t make excuses for someone who is being dishonest. You can best protect your reputation by showing honesty and integrity. Don’t waffle under pressure from someone with selfish motives.
8SUDOKU
Daily Chronicle / Daily-Chronicle.com
Teen initiates ‘the talk,’ but mom opts to dodge Dear Abby: I’m 16 and entering my junior year of high school. My boyfriend, “Jonah,” and I have been dating for almost a year and we would like to become sexually active, but I’m scared condoms won’t cut it. I have tried talking to my mom about it, but she doesn’t think I should go on birth control. Abby, I’m just trying to keep the risk of getting pregnant as low as possible. I’m not sure my mom understands that. What should I do? I know for sure my mother will find out if I go to my doctor and talk privately about this with her. Please help me because I’m just trying to protect myself. – Practical Teen in New York Dear Practical Teen: You appear to be a levelheaded young woman who is trying to make mature decisions. Discussing sex with parents can be difficult – not only for you, but also for them. If you are willing to talk about this with your mother again, try using a magazine, a TV show or my column as a jumping-off point to start the conversation. Sometimes it may take more than one talk to feel comfortable disclosing your personal feelings and intentions. You should be able to get confidential health services
Medicaid or other state programs may lower the costs. Dear Abby: Do you think it’s bad that my two girls don’t see their father? I don’t keep them from him. He’s welcome from your doctor or another to see them, but he is now rehealth care provider. Demarried and has never asked pending upon where you live, for them. He left our househowever, parental permission hold 10 years ago. may be needed. You will have To be honest, the girls to check to find out. don’t even talk about him In terms of birth control anymore. Is it OK to let them methods, hormonal birth go on with their lives with the control is effective when used family members who are in correctly. But using hormonal it? – New Mexico Mommy birth control and a condom Dear New Mexico Mommy: It’s TOGETHER offers the best sad that your daughters have protection from both pregnan- no relationship with their cy and sexually transmitted father. However, because diseases. he has shown no interest in having one with them, you For many years, I have have no option but to let them recommended Planned Parenthood (plannedparenthood. go on with their lives. The question that comes to org) for reproductive health services, which include infor- mind is, has he been supportmation, contraception, testing ing the girls financially? If the answer is no, you should have and education about a full gotten a lawyer involved 10 range of options for women, years ago. men and teens across the Dear Abby: I have a very United States. Its services are confidential and comply with hard time expressing my condolences. I panic and avoid relevant laws, which may sadness at all costs. I’ll give vary from state to state. you two examples: My boss’s Some Planned Parenthood husband died. (I worked for centers scale their charges according to income, and most him, too.) Because I couldn’t accept health insurance. Your talk to her, I avoided her like she had the plague. local Planned Parenthood Another time, a close health center can give you spefriend’s son tried to commit cific information about costs suicide and severely injured and policies. If you qualify,
DEAR ABBY Jeanne Phillips
himself. Instead of hugging my friend’s wife and asking how she was, I waved and went on like I was late for something. I’m ashamed of my behavior. How can I stop myself from acting like this? – Embarrassed in California Dear Embarrassed: One way would be to ask yourself WHY you’re afraid of confronting someone’s sadness. Is it fear that doing so will bring you to tears, and you want to avoid the emotion? Because you are feeling shame, I don’t think it is lack of empathy. Being prepared in advance may help you reach out when a condolence is needed. All you have to say is, “I’m sorry for your loss,” or, “I’m sorry about what you’re going through.” In some cases, the person may want to exchange a few words about it, but in others they won’t. Please stop beating yourself up about this. Many people don’t know what to say, or blurt out something inappropriate because they’re uncomfortable with their own feelings. Dear Abby: I work in a small bakery. We have a very nice baker here who is an older gentleman. When he gets frustrated, he will shout out, “Son-of-a-rabbit-chaser!” We all laugh and have asked him what that saying actually
means. He told us his father used to say it. Now the entire bakery is trying to guess what this saying’s true meaning and origin is. Can you help us out? My boss seems to think a “rabbit chaser” is referring to a greyhound dog because they chase rabbits. I don’t think that makes sense. I’m wondering if maybe it refers to a dirty old man chasing a younger woman, but that doesn’t really make sense either. If you can shed any light on this, we would all appreciate it. – Dying To Know in Milwaukee Dear Dying To Know: According to my dictionary of American slang, when someone starts an exclamation with “son-of-a,” it is usually to express “anger, annoyance, amazement or disappointment.” The animals that usually chase rabbits are dogs. Your baker may have grown up hearing his father use the expression because back then gentlemen weren’t supposed to say “SOB” in front of ladies or impressionable children because it was considered too crude for tender ears. Ahh, those were the good old days.
• Write Dear Abby at www. DearAbby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.
Strengthen ankle muscles to prevent future strains Dear Dr. K: I have weak ankles, and as a result, I have frequent ankle sprains. Can you suggest some ankle-strengthening exercises? Dear Reader: Our ankles are workhorses and take a lot of abuse. They must bear the full weight of our bodies, yet stay nimble and flexible through every step and jump. It’s amazing they work as well as they do. As is true with every weight-bearing joint in our bodies, the muscles that affect the movement of the joint are the joint’s best friends. I learned this the hard way. I badly injured my right quadriceps muscle playing basketball when I was in my 20s. The quadriceps is in the front of the upper leg and
ASK DR. K Anthony L. Komaroff protects the hip. Despite my exercising, that muscle never regained normal strength. As a result, 30 years later I needed a right hip joint replacement. My left hip was perfectly fine. Weak muscles supporting the ankle make you more vulnerable to injuries such as sprains. They also make you more likely to fall, and to suffer injuries from the fall. Ankle sprains stretch or even tear the ligaments that keep ankle bones and joints properly positioned. And in a vicious cycle, lax ligaments
set the stage for additional sprains. A combination of strengthening and stretching ankle exercises can help increase much-needed flexibility in your ankles. They can help build up supporting muscles that keep you balanced whether you’re standing still, walking over changing terrain or dancing. Here are two ankle-strengthening exercises and one ankle stretch. I’ve put photos of these exercises on my website. • Single leg stance (strengthening): Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart. Lift your right foot a few inches off the floor, bending your knee slightly, and balancing on your left
leg. Hold for 60 seconds, then lower your foot to the starting position. Repeat with your left leg. This completes one set. Do one to three sets, resting for 30 to 90 seconds between sets. • Heel raises (strengthening): Stand up straight with your feet hip-width apart and your hands at your sides. Slowly lift up on your toes so that your heels rise off the floor as high as possible. Pause, then slowly return to the starting position. Do one to three sets of 10 reps, resting for 30 to 90 seconds between sets. • Seated point and flex (stretching): Sit up straight in a chair with both feet on the floor. Lift your right foot a few inches off the floor.
Slowly flex your ankle so your toes point up toward the ceiling. Hold 10 to 30 seconds. Then slowly point your toes toward the floor. Hold 10 to 30 seconds. Finish 3 to 4 reps, then repeat the stretch with your left foot. This completes the set. As we have grown heavier in the United States over the past 40 years, our ankles have been subjected to even more challenges. If you’ve ever had an ankle injury, or if you sometimes feel unsteady on your ankles, consider regular exercise, in addition to the exercises above, to help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight.
• Visit www.AskDoctorK. com to read more.
8TODAY’S WEEKEND PUZZLE ACROSS 1 Twinge 5 Nobody’s fool 10 Almanac tidbit 14 Intense, as colors 19 Accept, as a check 20 Osmond or Curie 21 Improvise (hyph.) 23 Loose-limbed 24 Wide-eyed orphan 25 Cousin’s dad 26 She took the veil 27 Overfly 28 Pharaoh’s amulet 30 Throat clearers 32 Kind of mitt 33 Persian of today 34 Got through 36 Jacques’ girl 38 Sloppy — 40 Meadow grazer 41 Planted seed 42 Be an accomplice 43 “Driving Miss Daisy” Oscar winner 45 Hannibal’s route 49 No, to a lassie 50 Country addrs. 51 Hoarfrost 52 Rumple 56 Mistaken belief 58 Hoofed animal 59 Conclusion 60 Too 61 Impostors 62 Billowing garment 63 Antiquated 64 Utmost degree 65 Vine-covered 66 Like so 67 Bounders 68 Texas town (2 wds.) 71 Two-timer 72 Corn bin 73 Honey holders 74 Digestive juice 75 Compelling 78 Seductive women 79 Chamomile et al. (2 wds.)
83 Prez’s stand-in 84 Change form 85 Linoleum square 86 XX – VI 87 Our sort 90 Growing mediums 91 Orkin target 92 Laissez- — 94 Mil. branch 95 Donahue or Jackson 96 Protrudes 97 Nutritious legume 98 Publisher McNally 100 Lieutenant under Kirk 101 Hookah 102 Pleased 103 Cliff dwelling, now 104 Markdown 105 Poets’ eyes 106 Vacuum part 107 Slight advantage 108 Coliseum 110 Rainbow goddess 111 Turns state’s evidence 113 “Can it!” 116 Easel display 117 Pate de foie — 118 Fly blocker (2 wds.) 123 Found out 125 Kind of tradition 127 Imitated Bossy 129 “Oh, my!” (2 wds.) 130 Tedium 131 Man with a van 133 Of Carthage 135 Do the trick 136 Desktop pictures 137 Shorthand pro 138 Purplish flower 139 Four-footed pal 140 Bandmate of Mick 141 Role for Liz 142 Rodeo gear 143 Canonized mlles.
DOWN 1 Puerto Rican port 2 Kofi of the U.N. 3 Bete — 4 Standouts 5 Dallas sch. 6 Dugong cousin 7 Leaned backward 8 Annoyed 9 Be full of 10 “When We Was —” 11 Deft 12 Novelist — Cussler 13 Driftwood bringer 14 Fluctuated 15 Disney CEO Bob — 16 British cleric 17 Massey of “Love
Happy” 18 Levi Strauss stock 19 Padlock adjunct 22 — Disraeli 29 Wild horses 31 Cavalry sword 35 On vacation 37 Month, in Madrid 39 Singles 42 To — — (exactly) 43 Fork prongs 44 Vocalist — Sumac 45 Uphold 46 Cocoon dwellers 47 Braids 48 Pivot 50 Gym iterations 51 Grabs a cab 53 Humerus neighbor 54 Mach 1 breakers
55 London district 57 Explain further 58 Finger-paint 59 Bungles 62 Elegant 63 Pizzazz 66 Stumble 67 Plays boisterously 68 Gael republic 69 Attorney’s deg. 70 Boxer, maybe 72 Hudson Bay tribe 73 Sagan and Jung 74 Asteroid zone 76 Baseball award 77 Sushi morsel 78 Monsieur’s shout 79 Give the raspberry 80 Went out 81 Being broadcast 82 Willowy
84 Watered silk 85 Chapeau’s place 87 Good engine sound 88 Hairy twin 89 Upscale hotel chain 90 Gridiron coach Don — 91 Baby seals 92 Swamp 93 Poker stake 95 Ghosts 96 Triangular sails 97 Recorded 99 Spiral molecule 100 Net surfer 101 Chandelier pendant 102 Bamboo stalk 105 Zoologists’
mouths 106 Shuttlecocks 109 Appetizer tray item 110 A Mandrell sister 111 Perfumes 112 Creeps about 113 Valentino role 114 And so 115 Vietnam’s capital 117 Chair’s mallet 118 March composer 119 Ship’s crane 120 Hold the floor 121 Skips past 122 Bank on 124 Least of the litter 126 Campus org. 128 Fiery gem 132 Aussie jumper 134 — -Magnon