Bad habits are nothing to sneeze at

Originally published in 2013.

Dear Annie: I share a small workspace with someone who constantly coughs, sneezes, clears her throat, blows her nose and grunts. Worse, she never covers her mouth, so I’m surrounded by airborne germs all day. I know some of this is allergies, but she also doesn’t stay home when she’s sick. I have offered cough drops and antihistamines, which she has refused. I suffer from allergies as well, but try to keep my symptoms to myself. I have talked to my boss, but she won’t deal with it. Had It with the Hacking

Dear Had It: First be more direct with this co-worker, explaining your discomfort. If that doesn’t help, can you complain to the human resources department or a higher-up? Is it possible to move your desk? Would you be willing to wear a surgical mask or filter? Allergies can’t always be helped, but people should be considerate.

Dear Annie: We live in a quiet family neighbourhood. Recently, a neighbour tried to locate the owner of a rental home next door to discuss a shared-fence issue. When our neighbour could find no contact information through the city department of housing, he searched the internet. He was shocked to discover that for the past 10 years, the owners have had a porn site registered at that rental-home address. None of us wants a porn site associated with our neighbourhood. How should we handle this?

No Name or Location, Please

Dear No Name: While we certainly understand your moral objections, these owners seem to be running a legal operation. Most web-based or home-based businesses are fine unless there are customers or employees coming to the house. There may be a requirement to have a business licence, but that’s about it. Annie’s Mailbox is written by Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar, longtime editors of the Ann Landers column.