4월3일(목)1. Stinky neighbor 2. The death of adopted childrean from Korea

[Max(金昌鎬)]

Stinky neighbor

Dear Annie: Every week, a group of my neighbors and friends meets for dinner. "Veronica," a friend of our neighbor's for many years, is morbidly obese. For the past few months, she has had an overwhelming and offensive odor of stale urine. It's so preval‎ent that eating dinner in her proximity is next to impossible.

I am racking my brain to come up with a tactful way to say something. I don't know if Veronica realizes how horrible she smells. She is a very nice person, but her hygiene has become nonexistent. What can I do? -- Need Tact in Indianapolis

Dear Need Tact: If this is a recent development, there could be physical reasons behind it rather than laziness about hygiene. Incontinence and a strong odor can be the result of a urinary tract infection or, in some instances, diabetes. If Veronica is morbidly obese, she could have a bladder control problem as well and may mistakenly believe she is the only one who can smell it. Talk to your neighbor and ask if she's noticed this and if Veronica is aware of it. One of you should bite the bullet and tell the poor woman she needs to see her doctor.

Dear Annie: I just suffered through a dental visit, and the suffering was not from the pain of treatment, but from the dentist's rude attitude. And this is not the first time, nor is it the only dentist who has behaved this way.

I am a senior citizen on Social Security, and it is impossible to have regular checkups due to the extreme cost. Put that together with a lifelong phobia of dental work, and my teeth are hardly in good shape. But dentists don't seem to have any understanding of money issues. I have been rudely lectured time after time. One even came in with my X-rays and slammed them down, saying, "You are going to lose all your teeth," as if I had done this on purpose. I started to cry and he just stared at me. I never went back.

I just had X-rays and a teeth cleaning and the bill was $340 -- half my monthly income. What do they expect us to do? The dental schools need to teach a class on compassion. -- Disappointed and Furious

Dear Furious: No one should be browbeaten into having dental work done if it is not affordable. Most dentists are quite helpful about the bills if you discuss it with them beforehand. Explain that you have a phobia, that fixing everything is cost-prohibitive, and ask how they can ease your fears while maintaining some regular care. You should leave any practice where the dentist berates you -- and be sure to say exactly why you are walking out.

American Father Kills Wife and 4 Adopted Children from Korea

A white male in his 40s, indicted for embezzling from the bank that he worked for, killed himself, his wife, and their four adopted Korean children in Iowa City, Iowa.

According to the local media and city police, his wife, Sheryl Sueppel (42), Ethan (10), Seth (7), Mira (5), and Eleanor (3) were found dead in their house.

After receiving a call from a man alleged to be Steven Sueppel (42), police went to the house and found the bodies and two bats, which are suspected of been used to beat the children.

Five minutes after the call, the body of a white male was found in vehicle 14 km away from the crime scene. The vehicle had caught on fire after it hit a median strip on a highway.

At a press conference on Mar. 25, the police announced that after first killing his wife, Sueppel tried to kill himself and his adopted children with carbon monoxide in the garage. When that failed, he beat his children to death and then committed suicide.

Authorities also said that Sheryl was found in the inner room, two children on the second floor, the third in a basement bedroom, and the fourth in a basement playroom.

Steven Sueppel left a six-page note in the kitchen. He repeatedly wrote, “I am sorry,” and left a voice message on his brother’s mobile phone, saying, “My family will be in heaven.”

According to the FBI, Sueppel was indicted in February for embezzlement of 560,000 dollars. He worked as a vice-president at Hills Bank & Trust.

He admitted to the charges and was released on bail of 250,000 dollars. His trial was scheduled for Apr. 21 and he could have been sentenced up to 30 years imprisonment.

The Sueppels went to church every week with their children and attended Easter Mass on Mar. 23. Mira, who was their third-adopted child, would have celebrated her sixth birthday the next day.

The wife is known to have quit her teaching job to focus on raising her children. Neighbors said only several months had passed since the adoption process for one of the children had been completed.

A person who attends the same church said, “The couple expressed special affection for their adopted children by showing off the pictures of their children even before they were adopted. They really seemed to love them with their whole heart.”