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NOV. 12, 2010
ODD FILES, CONT’D
CONTINUED FROM A10
had particularly claimed
unfair conviction. The four
had participated in a prisonsponsored
odd-jobs program,
helping out around the governor’s
mansion.
More Redneck
Chronicles
(1) In October in
Seminole, Fla., near Tampa,
two men, ages 36 and 52, sitting
on a porch, drew the
attention of two passersby,
who made derisive comments
and eventually beat up
the porch-sitters, who were in
costumes as beer bottles. (2)
In Portage, Ind., in July,
Michael Perez, 36, and brother
Eric, 28, got into a fistfight,
then ran outside,jumped into
their respective pickup
trucks, and commenced to
ram each other. Multiple
charges were filed against
both after Eric accidentally
crashed into a mobile home.
Least Competent
Criminals
Two men robbing a
Waffle Shop in Akron, Ohio,
in October ushered customers
and employees into
the back and had them give
up their cell phones, which
were collected in a bag, with
the plan to lock the phones in
a supply room, retrievable
only long after the robbers
had fled. However, one robber
walked out the restaurant’s
front door, which automatically
locked behind him,
and when the other robber
walked into the supply room
to drop off the bag, an alert
hostage locked him inside
(and resisted when the robber
began “demand(ing)” to
be let out).
Recurring Themes
(1) A 55-year-old woman
was seriously injured in
October near Defuniak
Springs, Fla., when — and
alcohol was involved — she
fell from a motor home traveling
on Interstate 10. She
had walked to the back to use
the rest room, discovered that
the door was stuck, and
pushed against it — to learn
too late that it was the exit.
(2) A 75-year-old man in
Levis, Quebec, became the
latest person to fall victim to
his own protective booby
trap. He had apparently forgotten
the exact location of
the trip wire he had connected
to a shotgun to deal with
trespassers, and he was
killed.
An Odd Files Classic
(April 1993)
The Pasadena, Calif.,
Humane Society, using private
funds, recently began
TURN TO MORE ODD FILES ON A20
THE COAST NEWS
Project to expand I-5 continues
to draw community opposition
By Bianca Kaplanek
COAST CITIES — Two
weeks before a Nov. 22 deadline
to comment on a proposal
to expand Interstate 5, two
public hearings were held to
address the project.
Although the Nov. 8 events
were different, the message
was the same.
Despite claims from the
California Department of
Transportation, lead agency
for the project, few in North
County believe widening the
freeway will relieve congestion.
They also doubt the
project will enable the county
to comply with state mandates
to decrease greenhouse
gas emissions.
In July, Caltrans
released a 10,000-page draft
environmental impact report
for public review. Since then
Caltrans has held a series of
informational workshops to
inform the public about the
project.
The majority of residents
who attended those
presentations did not support
the expansion.
State Sen. Christine
Kehoe, D-San Diego, said she
requested the Nov. 8 informal
hearing, held at Solana
Beach Presbyterian Church,
to allow the agencies
involved with the project to
speak to the public.
Also on hand were
Senate Transportation and
Housing Committee
Chairman Alan Lowenthal,
D-Long Beach, representatives
from Caltrans and the
San Diego Association of
Governments and Mary
Nichols, chairwoman of the
California Air Resources
Board.
Kehoe said she would
include public input from the
meeting in her letter
responding to the EIR.
Caltrans is proposing to
widen 27 miles of I-5 from La
Jolla to Oceanside. The project
is estimated to cost
between $3.3 billion and $4.5
billion depending on the
option selected. Many speakers
said the money would be
better spent on mass transit.
Alternatives include
adding up to four managed
lanes for carpools, buses and
single-occupancy vehicles
willing to pay for use.
Another option features two
additional general purpose
lanes.There is also a no-build
option, which many residents
said was dismissed too quickly.
About four of the
approximately two dozen
speakers supported the project,
saying it would bring
much-needed jobs to the
area.
That night, Del Mar City
Council authorized its 18page
comment letter on the
EIR.
The report, the letter
states, fails to provide sufficient
or effective alternatives
or adequately address
the project’s main purpose
and impacts to the San
Dieguito Lagoon and local
feeder roads.
City officials also said
the no-build alternative is
dismissed prematurely and
truck traffic was not sufficiently
considered.
Condo presents a conundrum
Dear Bruce: I am 57 and
plan to retire within five
years. I purchased a condo in
2006, and in 2008 got deep
into debt and walked away
from my home.
I walked away in 2008
under the impression that it
would go into foreclosure.
However, the lending
company did a charge off.
I understand a charge
off, but I would like to know
if I should consider moving
back.
I owe the association
fees and taxes for one year. I
can catch up in 12 months.
I’m not disputing the
charges from the association.
I just need a payment plan,
and they say they will work
with me.
I would like to offer a
settlement to the lending
company in hopes of owning
the condo.
Can I move back to my
condo? Is this a good idea? I
also understand that I can
also do a short sale, but
would prefer to pay it off. —
E.D., via e-mail
Dear E.D.: Your letter
confuses me. You said you
were under the impression
that there would be a foreclosure.
Is the property still in
your name? That can be
determined in the county
where the property is located.
If the property is still in
your name, I am not at all
sure what your options are.
You could go back to the
lender and see if you could
work out a deal.
The association charges
are what they are, and as you
say “they will work with
you.” They have nothing to
lose; right now they have no
income.
It may be that the mortgage
company still has this
property in their name and
they would like to clear the
BRUCE
WILLIAMS
Smart Money
books.
First thing to do is find
out who owns this property.
In the event that it is still in
your name, that presents
some other interesting problems,
not the least of these is
— liability (should something
happen) because I am
sure at this time you have
dropped your homeowners
insurance.
When you get all these
details sorted out, get back to
me I will try and help you.
Dear Bruce: My parents
have gifted me money on a
yearly basis with the understanding
that I would hold
onto it for them in case they
needed it.
Should they not need it,
the money would be split
between my two siblings and
me. They have decided they
would like me to distribute
the money.
I am very willing but am
wondering if there are any
tax or legal ramifications for
me. Am I allowed to give
away $30,000 to two siblings?
Is there a yearly limit? I am
57 years old. — Susan, via email
Dear Susan: This should
not present any problems.
You are allowed to give
$12,000 to any one person in
any one year.
That would mean
$24,000 immediately, and if
you do this before the end of
this year, the remaining
$6,000 ($3,000 a piece) in the
next tax year.
Alternatively, if the siblings
are married, you could
give $12,000 a piece to them
and $3,000 to the spouses,
but either way, there is no
serious problem.
Dear Bruce: I am a professional
woman and the
only child of very elderly parents.
We are very close and
trusting of each other. They
have been frugal all their life
and have several million in
CDs, savings, property, etc.
There is a will that I
have not seen.
I understand that after
Dec. 31, 2010, the family is
going to lose at least 55 percent
of anything above the $1
million limit after their
death.
How can we help them
plan to protect their hardearned
savings that they
have put away for their
grandchildren and me? —
Denise, Oklahoma
Dear Denise: You say
after Dec. 31, 2010, the family
is going to lose at least 55
percent of anything more
than $1 million.
This is a possibility if
Congress does nothing to
extend the tax relief on state
taxes.
There are a number of
things that can be done to
lower this tax liability.
However, in order to determine
which would be appropriate,
one would have to
know a great deal about the
monies being held, in what
proportion to real property,
etc., and the wishes of your
parents. I would immediately
contact a well-recognized
(and probably fairly expensive)
estate planner to go
over all of your parents’
assets. Sit down with him or
her and find out precisely
what they would like to happen
— and then quickly
make whatever changes are
necessary to reduce the tax
liability.
Hopefully, Congress will
TURN TO SMART MONEY ON A17
Dear Dr. Gott: I just
turned 50, and my doctor
keeps talking about ordering
a colonoscopy for me. I’m not
sure I want to undergo one
and haven’t even asked what
one entails. Can you enlighten
me?
Dear Reader: This is a
simple same-day procedure,
meaning that you will enter
the hospital in the morning,
have the procedure performed,
and be discharged a
short time after the sedative
wears off.
Colonoscopy is preceded
by a preparation that will be
explained by someone from
your doctor’s office. You will
be given a solution to drink
that will remove all solids
from your digestive tract.
Following that, you will be
restricted to drinking liquids
such as clear soup broth, fruit
juice, ginger ale or tea the
day before. You can work or
function as you would ordinarily
but will find yourself
spending a fair amount of
time in the bathroom.
After you check in at the
hospital, you will receive a
sedative through an IV tube
to help you relax. Once in the
operating room, your doctor
will insert a flexible tube with
a camera known as a colonoscope
into your rectum. Air
will inflate the colon as the
colonoscope advances.
Images from the camera will
be sent to a computer monitor
that he or she watches
throughout the procedure. If
polyps or unusual tissue are
noted, small tools can pass
through the scope to remove
the questionable material so
the tissue can be biopsied.
The whole process usually
takes an hour or less.You will
then be taken to the recovery
room, and once the sedative
wears off, will likely be free to
go home. Because of the sedative,
it will be necessary to
have a ride home. Some
patients experience temporary
gas and bloating following
colonoscopy because of
the air introduced into the
rectum, but this is normal.
Your physician will advise
you to report to him or her if
pain, bleeding, fever or other
symptoms occur.
At your next appointment
or through a telephone
conversation from your physician,
you will be advised of
in the backyard brush and
in a 3-foot-by-3-foot underground
storage area. Much
of the waste sat on city property
adjacent to the house.
Hazardous waste
experts from the County
Health Department, San
Diego Fire Department
Hazardous Material Team,
Camp Pendleton Fire
Department and Sheriff
Arson and Bomb Squad
assisted in cleanup efforts.
In all, a dozen hazardous
material technicians
worked more than five
hours to locate and identify
materials.
Some materials were in
labeled containers, but
many were found in
DR. GOTT
Second Opinion
A15
It is good to get a
colonoscopy at 50?
FORECLOSED
CONTINUED FROM A1
the results. If all is well, you
will likely be cleared from
further testing for five to 10
years. Colonoscopy can be a
lifesaver. It can detect cancer
in its early stages, and any
lesions can be removed early.
Because of your age, your
physician is timely with his
recommendation. While the
procedure may be mentally
daunting, it can save years of
treatment when cancer is
detected early.
To provide related information,
I am sending you a
copy of my Health Report
“An Informed Approach to
Surgery.” Other readers who
would like a copy should send
a self-addressed stamped No.
10 envelope and a $2 check or
money order made payable to
Newsletter and mailed to
Newsletter, P.O. Box 167,
Wickliffe, OH 44092-0167. Be
sure to mention the title or
print an order form off my
website at
AskDrGottMD.com.
Dear Dr. Gott: Is there
some difference in the throat,
mouth or salivary glands of a
man from a woman that
makes it necessary for them
to always spit? You don’t see
most women doing this.
Dear Reader: Not to my
knowledge. There are some
traits men (and women) have
that are rather unattractive,
and spitting is one of them,
particularly for men. I can
understand that if a man
chews tobacco, he might have
an increased urge to spit.
Belching, chewing food
with your mouth open,
scratching and tooting are
but a few of the more mild
things one should never do
when not alone.
Dear Dr. Gott: My 23year-old
son was diagnosed
with bipolar illness about a
year ago. He is taking
Depakote and Abilify and
seems to be doing rather well.
Are there long-term
side effects from these
TURN TO SECOND OPINION ON A17
unmarked bottles, drums,
bags and boxes and had to
be tested to be identified.
Approximately 2,000
pounds of aluminum powder
was immediately
removed from the site.
Other materials were packaged
and removed Nov. 5
and Nov. 6.
Adjacent neighbors
were notified of the incident
and cleanup plans, but were
not advised to evacuate
since all materials were stabilized.
City and county officials
will follow up with
environmental testing to
ensure that no contaminated
soil or other material is
left on site. The site was
approved to use state and
federal “Superfund” monies
to fund the cleanup.