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Show DAILY A little bit ofthis anddata in science fe. The Aug.13 issue of "New Scientist” carries a provoca- DuaneJeffery The opening salvoofthe Science & Society than reality. idea of an autism epidemic camein 2003 from California, wherereportsindicated that in just 16 years,the incidence, ofautism had increased more than 600 percent. Other areas subsequently reported similarly alarmingstatistics. But finding the underlying cause, regardless of whether there has been real increase, is still a major priority. Shifting gears... alcoholism is a condition that has needed little diagnosis for thousands But howreliable are these of years. But westill don’t un- for autism; it is easily confused with a variety of other conditions such as depression and anxiety. It seems that autism is now dividedinto three basic categories: autistic disorder, Drosophila,the little “fruit fly,” has been oneof science's most valuable models: What we learn from thatfly today; we will almost certainly find valid for humans later. That's been Asperger syndrome, and “per. Vasive developmentaldisorder, not otherwisespecified.” boozingflies maygive insights to human alcoholism. data? Thereis no objective test derstandall its biochemistry. The Aug. 11 issue of “Na- ture” summarizes the fact that, like humans,fruit flies become moretolerantof alcohol the more they are exposed to it. Overtime,it takes more and morealcoholto cause egories has been with us only since 1994. ed saying that “Twenty years agothere were maybe 10 au- tism specialists in the country. Nowthere are over 2,000.” Andthat has resulted in morefunding beingavailable enness. (We use alcohol vapor,rather than a shot-glass orbottle,to give controlled exposures.) But someflies don’t develop tolerance; they’re just snockered at the same dose regardless of how manytimes they’re exposed. They turn out to have an allele, a version of a gene, subsequently named “hangover.” (Drosophila geneticists are famous for to treat this difficult condition. It makesgreatsense,then, genetics: “drop-dead,” “ether- that borderline cases, or per- a-go-go,” etc.). sonswith otherwise unclear maladies, would be declared autistic so that professional inventive names for behavior But the hangover metabolic pathway (and a second one help could be obtained. So is the reported “epidem- ic” real, or are we just doing better discovery, reporting andtreating? That questionis criticalsinceit bears onfind- ing the cause for the condition in thefirst place. Researchers havebeentryingto isolate “changes in environmental conditions” that could account also discovered) haveparallels in mammalian systems and arerelated to stress conditions. Flies with the hangover condition are more susceptible to stress such as heat and oth- er challenges and have shorter lifespans. So — if the fly-to-humans ing with the same frequency as ever, so “changes”in the environmentare not relevant. communicate his expectations to me, and my angerat some things he said about my fiancee. Ourtiff has lingered for almost three weeks now. opinions nor openthe subject to an unpleasant disagreement aboutpolitics. GENTLE READER — Your relative should be studying the poli- to the universal harmony of citizens complaining about their ownpoliticians. DEAR MISS MANNERS — In the hospital that I work in, many of ur AM 1400 Don't forget you can still listen to HWW weekdays at 9am on www.GrapevineRadio.com - Click on ‘Listen Now. Now youcan listen the Whole Week! Support the future of your community, give the gift of literacy. Dailysdieraty MG the patients andtheir families arenot fluent in English. We use translators or ask various staff membersto translate for us. Myquestionis about eye contact. In a recentscenario, the doctoronly looked at the nurse (who was also thetranslator), both while the doctortold the nurse whatto translate and while the nurse was translating to the patient's mother.I thoughtthat the doctor was being rude to the mother by not looking at the motheratall during the exchanges. ‘Whoare wesupposed to look at when weare speaking to the translator: the translator or the You Get + 15 lines of text - A Garage Sale Kit ‘i B paid moreattention to your brother's needs than to hers, then you oweher an apology — especially if she’s been his hate target. If it’s that you've paid moreattention to your brother than to centerpieces and doilies, then you twoneed to discuss (whichincludes, signs, price tags & balloons) Call today to place your ad! 373-6450 Judith Martin Miss Manners that. You mean it, so say it. By giving him whatever ego cover he needs to make (temporary)peace, you makeit his decision — i.e., his problem — whether he chooses to make it. He might, he might not, you might get faction, you might not, and it’ll be on your mind regardless,but it’ll no longer be on your plate. E-mail “Tell Me About It”: tellme@washpost. com;fax: 202-334-5669; or write: “Tell Me About It,” c/o The WashingtonPost, Style Plus, 1150 15th St., NW, Washington,D.C. 20071. Chat online with Carolyn each Friday at noonEastern time, at www. washingtonpost.com. patient/parent? Whenthe translator is speaking to the patient/ parent, do welook at the translator or the patient/parent? GENTLE READER — Thedoctor TIA ANN CHAPMAN/The Hartford Courant Groom Rob Thompsoncelebratesafter his turn at the pins during his wedding reception. He wora black tie witha bowling-style tuxedoshirt and his name embroideredin the corner, Weddings Coenen was single bowling pin paired with a two-toned Continuedfrom B1 madethe intuitive choice, which is to look at the person whois in the physical act of speaking. costumeparty, wedding watchers say couples are beginning to embracethe uncon- It is the wrongchoice, as you ventionalin an effort to put point out, but the right choiceis a complicated one. their mark on what is perhaps the most cliched of milestone cept the services of a translator without acknowledging that occasions. “Brides and grooms don't want a cookie-cutter wedding,” says Rosanna McCollough, editor-in-chief of WeddingChannel.com. “As(people) get married little bit older these days... I think they wantto express themselves in different way. They've been to so many weddings over the years and nobody wants their wedding person's presence. blurred with all the others.” Miss Mannersagrees that the doctor should be looking at the parent, because it is the parent with whom the doctoris having the conversation, however indirectly. Butit is also rude to talk about someone,evena child, without acknowledging that person's presence,andto ac- Doing all this, and eyeing the medical records as well, is a skill that has to be learned. You might suggest ata staff meeting thatthis is one of the skills needed in a hospital that serves patients who donot speak English. Industry insiderslike McCollough are seeing whimsical wedding details that give a nod to the couple's personalities - unconventional menus of macaroni andcheese, McDonald's hamburgers or Southernfried chicken,a la Britney Spears. They're seeing Send a long,self-addressed, stamped envelope and$2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092 and you'll receive “Miss Manners’ The Etiquette of Proper Eating.” Feeling incorrect? E-mail your etiquette questions to Miss Manners (whois distraught that she cannot reply personally) at MissManners@unitedmedia. com — if you promise to use the black or blue-black ink you'll save by writing those thank you, condolence and congratulationsletters you owe. Wile MLC at Ta) MUL Ley PNelelgesy en) WET ek an increase in destination weddings, where exotic locations serve as backdrop for the momentous event — and help weedout the peripheral guests invited outofobligation. They're hearing about gatheringslike the Thompsons’s that incorporate groupactivi- ties such as horsebackriding or kayaking — social lubricants they say bring strangers togetherandtalking better than any cocktail can. “You know whenyou goto a wedding and you're dreading who you havetosit with? I alwaysfelt like I constantly got stuck at the table withall the singles. And you're just sitting there, trying to make small talk over this enormous (table) centerpiece,” says Kris Thompson, a West Hartford native. (Both copywriters Wagsin Los Angeles, the Thompsons brought the celebration back to Connecticut to be closerto the bride’s family). The pair wanted an atmosphereof ease. Bowling teams became their modern-day version oftable assignments. Andattheir kitschy August www.heraldextra.com/ yellowpages ration at the Blue bowling shoe that sprouted a simple bouquetof flowers. “Peoplefit into a pattern and wind updoing the samething all the time,” Beach says.“This is a great way to keepit loose.” About 125 family and friends milled about the 1960seraalley, shuffling around in rented bowling shoes and feasting on salmonand roast porkloin. Thebride's version of a wedding dress: a white, vintage bowlingshirt reconstructed into fitted tank top with a small, ruffled puff at the back in a lighthearted nod to a gown’s train. The groom wore a black bowtie and a tuxedo shirt from JCPenny, his name embroidered, bowling-style, at the corner. The wedding cake: two levels of cupcakes crowned witha layer of white cake, a plastic bride and groom topper flanked by tiny bowlingballs and pins. Thenat 9 o'clock camethe last words one would expect to hear at a wedding reception. “All right, everybody,” a teen voice blared over the speakers, “it’s time to bowl!” “I just think it’s so cool,” saysJackiPass, aiminga plastic forkful of pasta into her 2-year-old son Sam's mouth.“I like a casual get-together and I think it's a nice, easy way to mingle with people.I like that they're doingit their own way. I think morepeople should do it their own way. Because the traditional is overrated.” McCollough, of WeddingChannel.com, admits she’s “a sentimentalgal” and holds an appreciation for the traditional. Still, she says,“it’s fine to have an extremely whimsical event as long as you two are very serious about the vows,as long as you keep the sincerity of saying those words. Then everythingelse is just decoration and you can makeit be whatever you want it to be.” That wasexactly the ns’s intent. “When we were standing up there (on our wi day), wereally felt like it was Fox Rock 'n Bowl, the guests eeus,” says Kris Thompson. seemed to appreciate the effort. ‘ob's hands were trembling “I think it’s agreat alternaon Ty eyes weretearing up. tive way togo,” says Mike Andif I had to do thatin front of 150 people... “Lwould have passed out,” her husband concludes. Cool Pools & Spas 925S 1950 W Springville UT 84663 in the Daily Herald & harktheherald no argument’s going to change about American politics, having had these unpleasant exchanges whenshe lived in Europe before. The questions typically run alongthe lines of “How can Americans votefor that candidate?” or “How can they support such a policy?” — yet are delivered in such a wayas to imply that Americans are stupid ornaive. Wewerehoping you could suggest a way to respond to unkind opinions masquerading as curiosity that would neither indicate that she agrees with the from country against country on as long’as you'reafter him to acknowledge his mistakes here — despite his apparently having made many. It’s also clear that a marriage is more important than a brother but a brother is more important than a wedding. That’s why, before you takethis up, jain, with your brother, you need to take it up, uhgain, with our bride. If her concern is that you've EAR MISS MANNERS — A fully satisfied with the leaders, no matter how muchelectoral support these people received. fewpolite and neutrally worded questions about the host country’sissues of the day should turn the conversation New Day & Time! saying it. And he won't sayit Either way, conclude by ask- ing her support for one more brotherly gesture: dropping your dukes. Tell the F-bomber — or write again,so you aren't sucked back into battle — that you're sorry you blew his plans, and that he's your best man and you wanthim beside you and relative of mine will soon be moving to Europe. She is unhappily anticipating all kinds of disparaging questions acountry where everyoneis 3 Full hours every Saturday Noon to 3pm For more information call 344-2923 Carolyn Hax Tell Me About It of SomethingsElse) chafing your brother, and he’s not priorities. When ij n Rome... Young University. is moving to a i) Ptecaeiay Something Else (or2 lifetime day myfriends left, I got a My brother’s not a bad guy phone call from my brother, —I’m notpreparedto write in which he accused meofcir- him off over this. But myficumventinghis bachelor-party anceeis starting to think I'm planning and notwanting his making repairs to my relationwife and 8-month-old child ship with him more important presentat our wedding. He than being there for her as our finished with, “F--- you andf--- wedding day approaches. Any your wedding,” and hung up. suggestions? We hada few heated phone —Bummed Brett calls after that, and I wrote him letter explaining my Two.“City” and “Hall.” frustrationsathis failure to Not really. If a non-bachelor DuaneJeffery is a professor of zoology at Brigham pattern holds, how long mayit be before we speak ofa “hangover gene”in people? HealyWallyWow | lives in another, and my other groomsmenandfriends are scattered throughout the country. Two groomsmen and their wives camerecently to visit (my brother andhis wife were invited but chose notto come). Wecalledit a minibachelorparty, since discussions I'd had with my brother led meto believe we agreed thata traditional bachelor Party wasn’t an option. The tics of the country in which she will be living. This is not only a responsible thing to do, but it will give her the information to makedelicate inquiries about the state of her hosts’satisfaction with their ownpoliticians. Miss Mannershas yetto find for the “increase,” but perhaps there is none. We maybe deal- EfeterFloatsem-wed , anon-wedis ht incur medical bills. sist that wedgs be come proxiés for so many high hopes and hardfeelings — often wholly unrelated to the marsige toeXs femmes to cll the pattern now since 1908. So Theprofessional diagnostic criteria for autism have been revised five timessince 1980; thedivisioninto three cat- positively. One worker is quot- i Ms. Hax, I'm getting married I live in another, my brother recentyearsis artifact rather advertised, more professionals entered the field. More and morepatients were diagnosed Weddingstrains on brotherly love my best man, but we haven't beengetting along. He got upset about mybachelorparty —orlack of one. The wedding is in onecity, my fiancee and tivearticle of considerable social interest: “The Autism Myth.” This is not to deny that autism exists and is very ‘serious, but the article does analyze whetherthe incredible increase in autism reported in the condition has been better Wednesday, September 7, 2005 this fall. My brotheris et’s catch up on some of the interesting science ae has beenpiling up So diagnosticcriteria have changed.So has public and professional awareness. As HERALD End Of The Season |