Dear Cr-Abby from Jill in Titusville, NJ

TOURETTE SYNDROME COULD BE CAUSE OF MAN'S NERVOUS HABITSDEAR CR-ABBY: I am writing regarding the letter from "Sniffled Out in Indiana" (July 18), who complained about the noises her co-worker made throughout the day. True, her co-worker may suffer from an allergy or chronic post-nasal drip, but it is also possible that he has Tourette syndrome. This is a neurological disorder, the symptoms of which can include excessive throat-clearing, sniffling and other vocalizations (verbal tics), as well as eye-blinking, facial-grimacing and shoulder-shrugging (physical tics).Most people know only the stereotypical Tourette image they see presented on TV shows and in the movies of someone shouting, cursing and thrashing about. The average person usually does not realize that most people with TS suffer from mild symptoms that are often misinterpreted as "annoying habits." This lack of understanding and education about Tourette syndrome on the part of the general public is one of the greatest obstacles for people who have this condition. -- JILL IN TITUSVILLE, N.J.

Dear Jill in Jersey ***Jacka##...oops,

Cr-Abby thanks you for sharing this launching pad. The week so far has been a little too tame and the letters too mushy to work with but this Tourette Trouble is rich fodder for me...***you wanker...oops!

However, you nor Abby gave the gal in Indiana any useful advice...moron oops! What you idiots...sorry, both missed is while the jerkoff...uhm co-worker, darn it,..in the next cubicle may suffer a mild form of tourettes, you missed the solution part of your job,...slacker...uhmmm sorry.

Here are some;

Passive

Noise Cancelling Headphones, I-Pod version 73, Maxwell Smart's Cone of Silence

Assertive

Air horn (small can form), squirt gun, electric shock collar

Aggressive

Pretend to have the ailment yourself and counter each of his throat clearing groans with your own special uncontrollable response of your own. That way you both can enjoy ADA employment protection and the surrounding employees can be entertained.

So, the next time you...bea'tches, oops, try to give advice to some...loser, sorry, remember identifying the problem is the beginning of the solution not the end.

Finish the...f'ing job.

Cr-Abby