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Dear Distressed Parent:
This is a difficult and painful question to address and a correct response is best gleaned from an understanding of the written policies of the university in question. I will respond in a broad way. Generally, the sequence that leads to Academic Separation starts with an Academic Warning. A student with a term GPA below a minimum specified level, usually 2.0, is given an Academic Warning. The student must raise his/her GPA up to the minimum GPA by the end of the next term. The next step in the sequence is Academic Probation. A student who has completed two or more terms at a university and has a cumulative GPA below 2.0 is placed on Academic Probation. The final and most severe penalty in this sequence is Academic Separation, sometimes called Academic Suspension. A student who is on Academic Probation and has a subsequent term GPA below 2.0 can be suspended or separated from an institution. A student with this status is denied all the privileges of the institution, including any university recognized living group, and may not take coursework at the university. Generally, the student who is separated will be considered for reinstatement after one or two years and with documentation of having satisfactorily completed a specified number of transferrable college-level units from an accredited college or university with a specified GPA. The specified GPA is usually 2.5 or higher. An official transcript(s) that serves as documentation must accompany any application for readmission. Usually an Administrative Committee of some kind reviews the application for readmission and makes a determination. If all documentation is in order and the required coursework and minimum GPA is attained, the student may be readmitted.
Academic Separation is a serious issue and students who are headed in this direction should seek immediate assistance from their academic advisors at the college or university in order to get back on track. Separation or suspension is recorded on a student's academic record. Students who are already separated most often attend a community college to take the recommended coursework and attain better grades. Once enrolled in a community college, a student can choose to seek readmission to the original university or apply to a different public or private college as a transfer applicant. In California the student can follow the transfer path to a California State University or a University of California campus. These paths are open to students who get back on track following academic separation.
It is important to note that the impact of the national recession on community colleges makes it more difficult for all students to take the coursework they need in a timely way. Student attempts to enroll in community colleges continue to climb, but actual enrollment is declining because students are frequently turned away. Community colleges are not the safety net they once were and the rule is "first come, first served."
Elizabeth LaScala, Ph.D. is an educational consultant and certified college admission advisor. Her goal is to help freshman applicants as well as transfer students and their families understand the admissions process, research college and career options, create a balanced college list and submit strong and cohesive applications. She is familiar with local high schools and has guided three daughters through the college admissions process in addition to more than 300 clients. Dr. LaScala is an active member of NACAC, WACAC, and HECA and earned a certification in College Admissions and Career Planning from University of California at Berkeley. Contact her at (925) 891-4491 or email@example.com.


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Smoothie drivers for Windows
If you run Windows you will need to install drivers to use the virtual serial over USB interface.
Please continue reading to determine the correct drivers to install for your version of Windows.
Installers Windows 2000 through Windows 8
- Windows 2000/Vista/7/8 64bit/32bit: smoothieware-usb-driver-v1.1.exe
Note: Windows 8.1 is known to not like the new driver. Please use the v1.0 driver found below with Windows 8.1 for now.
For Windows 10 do not install drivers.
Using the installers
Download the installer and run it. After that Smoothieboard's usb serial should be recognized automatically.
New in v1.1:
- support for second usb serial port (not compatible with having usb mass storage disabled)
- removed the "!" from the Smoothie DFU device in Windows Device Manager
Windows 10There is no need to install the drivers on Windows 10, it should all work out of the box. In fact installing the drivers on Windows 10 may cause trouble.
Driver files
- Windows 2000/Vista/7/8 64bit/32bit: smoothieware-windows-signeddriver-v1.1.zip
- Windows 8.1: smoothieware-windows-signeddriver-v1.0.zip
How to install the driver files manually
This is just in case the installer doesn't work, or one is running Vista. The installer is new and has not received much testing so if it didn't work for you please let me know at firstname.lastname@example.com.
Download the driver files zip and unzip it somewhere. You can use whatever you like so long as you remember it later. The Smoothie sdcard might be a convenient place in case you end up needing the driver in the future.
Click the "start" button and pull up the control panel. From there, we want to open the device manager. Now we need to locate the device to install. If you are using an old firmware you may find an unknown "CDCMSC DEVICE". If you are using a recent version of Smoothieware you may find up to two "Smoothie Serial" devices. Here is an example of what you might see on a recent firmware:
Right-click the first one and select "Update Driver Software"
Find where you unzipped the driver to
You should now have a recognized "Smoothie Virtual Serial Port". You might have two of them if that option is enabled in config. Note that your com ports might be different numbers (mine are 9 and 10). The port numbering can be changed through the advanced port properties, but you shouldn't really need to do that. Also note that "smoothie DFU" is still unrecognized. This is fine. You can ignore that.
Does none of this work for you?
There are some windows machines that do not seem to like any of these drivers. These problems do not seem tied to a specific version of Windows. In order to find the cause we would appreciate submissions of hardware information from affected machines. If you have a machine that does not like these drivers please complete the steps found on the How to submit Windows System Information page. Hopefully this will help us identify a pattern to the problem which could help us come up with a solution.

subset: commoncrawl


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Joni Ernst Tells TIME She Was Sexually Harassed in the Military
Iowa Senate candidate Joni Ernst told TIME Friday that she was sexually harassed in the military. Separating herself from many of her fellow Republicans, Ernst also said she would support taking sexual assault cases out of the military chain of command.
Ernst, a 20-year veteran, said in the interview with TIME that there are situations when soldiers may be hesitant to report sexual harassment.
"I had comments, passes, things like that," Ernst said. "These were some things where I was able to say stop and it simply stopped but there are other circumstances both for women and for men where they don't stop and they may be afraid to report it."
After reports of high levels of sexual assault in the military, lawmakers worked to address the issue last spring. A main point of contention was whether such cases should be handled by military officers. In March, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand's bill to address the issue was narrowly defeated in the Senate. The New York Democrat's legislation would have removed sexual assault cases from the chain of command.
While Ernst stopped short of endorsing Gillibrand's specific plan, she said that she would work with Gillibrand and other senators to address sexual assault in the military.
One of Gillibrand's supporters in March was Iowa GOP Sen. Charles E. Grassley, who recently campaigned with Ernst at the Iowa state fair .
Ernst had a surprising win in the primary to win the GOP nomination and will face Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley in the fall to replace retiring Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. The Rothenberg Political Report/Roll Call rates the Iowa Senate race as a Tossup .
Related Stories:
In Iowa Senate Race, It's Personality Versus Policy
Welcome to the Chuck Grassley Show at the Iowa State Fair
Senate Democrats Launch First IE Ad of 2014
House Candidate Launches First Ad in Open Seat Race
Top 10 Most Vulnerable Senators
NRSC Chairman: Senate Map Has Expanded to 12 States
Roll Call Election Map: Race Ratings for Every Seat
Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.


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|If amputation required a prosthetic, I'd so be rockin' this look.
|Oh well...
|Deservedly spoiled already
|If amputation required a prosthetic, I'd so be rockin' this look.
|Oh well...
|Deservedly spoiled already
Well,there is the manada,bear hole run,lots of unexplored(to you) Quittie. Just spitballing places>ReplyDelete
oh forgot to add Matt,knows 2 other native brookie streams that i have not hit yetReplyDelete
All good options. Thanks Spurky.Delete
Awesome pup.ReplyDelete
Thanks Brk, things are working out better than anticipated.Delete
It looks like there is large blue area, presumably water, on the right side of that map. You should check that out.ReplyDelete
congrats on the rescue dog...I've got 2 great Labs from rescue and think that's such a good way to go with all the available animals.ReplyDelete
Agreed. We rescued our two previous dogs as well. So many great animals just looking for homes.Delete
cute letter :)
Have a good day .Keep fishing.
Congrats on the new addition! My dogs really like chewing up my issues of FPQ. If you do renew your subscription make sure to put them somewhere safe like the back of a toilet or something...ReplyDelete
I'm going to see if there's a digital subscription to FPQ instead. Can't risk it.Delete
that poor kitty.....ReplyDelete
Good luck with the dog!ReplyDelete
man, that (black)mail is to good to be true. ^_^


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Search Tips
A Keyword search will find every occurrence of a word or phrase throughout the entire BAS Library whether it is in a Title, an Author name or if the word or phrase is mentioned in the text.
The Author field searches for articles by a particular author. You can search by typing in Last Name, First Name of an author or just the last name.
Use the Title field to search for a word or phrase that appears in a title or subtitle of an article across the entire BAS Library.
The Bible Verse search feature can be used to locate articles that either contain or reference a particular verse. Verses can be searched by typing in the full citation (e.g., 1 Kings 9:28) or by using the Society of Biblical Literatures standard Bible abbreviations (list can be found here) e.g, 1 Kgs 9:28.
Content type allows you to limit your search to particular aspects of the BASLibrary (e.g. images, feature articles, letters, etc.). If you would like to search more than one type, but not all you can hold the "shift" key down and click on the items.
Use the Publication search feature to either limit your key word, title, author or Bible verse search to a particular publication. A publication search can also be used to pull up everything ever published in that particular publication.
The From and To search fields can be used to limit the date ranges for the other search features (for instance if you are looking for a newer article, say published after 2010) or can be used on their own to search everything published between certain years.


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Leonardo DiCaprio continued to shoot The Wolf Of Wall Street yesterday in New York, this time on a yacht holding lobster claws surrounded by bikini girls and exchanging words with Kyle Chandler. Judging by Coach Taylor's working class suit, I'm guessing he's a cop, the adversary to Leo's excessive 80s trader-pimp...? He'd be well-suited to it. And incorruptible!
Maybe the Emmys sucked for me because he wasn't there. Last year Kyle Chandler was the Best Actor Drama. This year Connie Britton showed up with bad hair and more people knew her from a different show. They said Texas Forever but I think they only meant Texas For Five Years.


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- United Kingdom
- United States
- Argentina
- Australia
- Austria
- Benelux
- Brazil
- Canada
- China
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- India
- Indonesia
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Korea
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- Philippines
- Poland
- Russia
- South Africa
- Spain
- Taiwan
- Turkey
- iHaveNet.com: Technology
by John Moore
Item-locator apps help consumers find what they want -- and help retailers and product manufacturers reach their target audience
Store-locator apps that direct customers to the retail location of their choosing have become a standard and expected capability of mobile devices. But retailers and consumer packaged goods makers are pushing the technology to the next level: apps that helps consumers zero in on stores that carry particular brands or help them find where items are located within stores. Those item or product locators have begun to emerge, attracting interest from a range of retailers and product companies.
Nathan Pettyjohn, founder and chief executive officer aisle411, a Palo Alto, Calif. company that makes an indoor mapping and search platform, says consumers' interest in mobile apps that create an engaging in-store experience have grown exponentially during the past year.
"Eighty three percent of shoppers report difficulty finding the items they're looking for in stores," Pettyjohn explains. He adds that this situation makes indoor search, navigation and interactive store maps the most useful form of in-store mobile applications.
Meanwhile, OnTerra Systems has encountered demand for product-locator apps that help brands get noticed. Steve Milroy, president of OnTerra Systems, says his customers started asking about product locators about a year ago. The company focuses on web mapping and location-based services, among other areas.
Store locators, while useful, don't offer brand managers the level of specificity required to stand out on in the crowded retail space. "They need to create their own apps to highlight their products and allow consumers to find their products," Milroy says.
Narrowing the Search
OnTerra Systems earlier this year completed a product locator for Beanitos Inc., which makes low-glycemic, gluten-free chips from beans. OnTerra Systems used its store-locator development platform, LocatorSavvy, to create the Beanitos locator, which directs customers to nearby Beanitos-carrying stores via mobile as well as web browsers, the company says.
Essentially, OnTerra Systems extended its Web mapping locator technology from finding stores to finding stores associated with specific products. The approach resonates with small- and medium-sized brands, according to Milroy.
"Beanitos isn't a large brand; they are probably a medium-sized brand," Milroy says. "They are specialized -- they play in the gluten-free market. We have found that the smaller and medium brands can adopt product locators to help them compete with the larger brands."
Companies marketing megabrands, however, are also looking into product locators. Patrick Campbell, chief operating officer at OnTerra Systems, says the technology can provide a boost to "any product that is trying to get on a retailer's shelf and get noticed."
For its part, aisle411 provides indoor map and search capabilities for customers such as drug retailer Walgreens and the Price Chopper supermarket chain. The size of the store -- and how often customers shop there -- drives the need for item locators, Pettyjohn says. "Our research shows that the larger the store and less frequently it's visited, the higher the shopper demand for mobile item location services," he says.
At or near the top of the list, Pettyjohn says, are home centers, mass merchants, grocery stores and drug retailers. "It's been our experience that the grocery and drug channels have been innovators and first to respond to shopper demand," he says. "However, we expect to see home center and mass merchants adopting the same technology in the coming months."
The Underlying Technology
The aisle411 platform collects and organizes retail inventory data and makes it searchable on in-store maps, according to Pettyjohn. The platform incorporates proprietary technologies, including indoor search, inventory data and grammar management, scalable map development, context and location aware product recommendation, and micro-location shopper tracking, he notes.
"By integrating our developer API and SDK, our technologies are then easily leveraged by partners including retail, shopping, navigation and social apps," Pettyjohn adds.
At OnTerra Systems, Milroy says the company aims to avoid using propriety tools. Instead, the company takes a standards-based approach, using HTML 5 and jQuery Mobile, for example.
Other technologies may begin to influence product and item locators. A mobile device's ability to read QR codes or barcodes lends itself to price comparison apps, for example. Milroy says there is some convergence in the market between those apps and product locators, but notes that his company isn't using barcode-reading technology.
In addition, object recognition seems a natural fit for drilling down for information on products found in a store. Indeed, some activity has begun to surface. Mathecsys, a technology consulting firm, lists mobile object recognition for retail among its projects. The retail project, according to Mathecsys, would let shoppers use a mobile device to take an image of a grocery store's flyer and receive information and discounts on the selected product.
John Moore has written about business and technology for more than 20 years. Moore's articles have appeared in Baseline, CIO.com, Federal Computer Week, iHealthBeat, and TechTarget. Areas of focus include cloud computing, health information technology, systems integration, and virtualization.
Photo: Corbis Images
Article: Copyright © iHaveNet


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Wed, 2023-10-18 09:00
You know #WeLoveBPM ♥, and we believe you love ARIS, too. To inspire you for using ARIS, we share here with you all news about the ARIS products. Subscribe to this forum to keep yourself informed about all new & hot topics around ARIS we are publishing regularly here.
And feel free to subscribe and follow us on our other channels:
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/ariscommunity
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ARIScommunity


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Aug. 15
1948 — Babe Didrikson Zaharias wins the U.S. Women's Open golf title over Betty Hicks.
1950 — Ezzard Charles knocks out Freddie Beshore in the 14th round to retain his world heavyweight title.
1965 — Dave Marr edges Jack Nicklaus and Billy Casper to take the PGA Championship.
1966 — Jose Torres retains his world light-heavyweight title with a unanimous decision over Eddie Cotton in Las Vegas.
1993 — Greg Norman lips his putt on the PGA Championship's second playoff hole, giving Paul Azinger the title and leaving Norman with an unprecedented career of Grand Slam playoff losses. Norman, despite winning his second British Open title a month earlier, has lost playoffs in three other majors — 1984 U.S. Open, 1987 Masters, 1989 British Open.
1993 — Damon Hill, son of the late Graham Hill, becomes the first father-son Formula One winners when he takes the Hungarian Grand Prix.
1995 — Monica Seles returns to the WTA Tour after a 28-month absence following her 1993 stabbing with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Kimberly Po at the Canadian Open.
1999 — Tiger Woods makes a par save on the 17th hole and holds on to win the PGA Championship by one stroke over 19-year-old Sergio Garcia. Woods, 23, becomes the youngest player to win two majors since Seve Ballesteros in 1980.
2004 — In Athens, Greece, the U.S. men's basketball team loses 92-73 to Puerto Rico, the third Olympic defeat for the Americans and first since adding pros. American teams had been 24-0 since the professional Olympic era began with the 1992 Dream Team. The U.S Olympic team's record was 109-2, entering the game.
2005 — Phil Mickelson delivers another dramatic finish in a major, flopping a chip out of deep rough to 2 feet for a birdie on the final hole and a one-shot victory in the PGA Championship.
2007 — Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleads guilty to felony charges for taking cash payoffs from gamblers and betting on games he officiated in a scandal that rocked the league and raised questions about the integrity of the sport.
2010 — Martin Kaymer wins the PGA Championship in a three-hole playoff against Bubba Watson. Dustin Johnson, with a one-shot lead playing the final hole at Whistling Straits, is penalized two strokes for grounding his club in a bunker on the last hole. The two-shot penalty sends him into a tie for fifth.
2012 — Felix Hernandez pitches the Seattle Mariners' first perfect game and the 23rd in baseball history, overpowering the Tampa Bay Rays in a brilliant 1-0 victory. It's the third perfect game in baseball this season.
2012 — The U.S. breaks a 75-year winless streak at Azteca Stadium with an 80th-minute goal by Michael Orozco Fiscal and Tim Howard's late sprawling saves in a 1-0 victory over Mexico.
2014 — Mo'Ne Davis, one of two girls at the Little League World Series, throws a two-hitter to help Philadelphia beat Nashville 4-0 in the opener for both teams. Davis, the first girl to appear for a U.S. team in South Williamsport since 2004, has eight strikeouts and no walks.


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School-Based Interventions Could Benefit Children from Military Families, MU Researcher Says
Children with deployed parents at risk for emotional, behavioral and relationship struggles
May 19th, 2014
The views and opinions expressed in this "for expert comment" release are based on research and/or opinions of the researcher(s) and/or faculty member(s) and do not reflect the University's official stance.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Nearly 2 million children in the United States have experienced a parent's military deployment. Previous research has shown that these children may be at increased risk for emotional, behavioral and relationship difficulties, yet little is known about how best to address military children's specialized needs. Now, an MU researcher says school-based interventions could benefit children whose parents have deployed.
David Albright, an assistant professor at the MU School of Social Work, says military children are an overlooked population in need of more attention from school officials. To best help military children, teachers, administrators, guidance counselors and social workers should be aware of military culture and how it may influence children's behaviors at school.
"Many children who act out in school are asked about common causes of bad behavior, such as bullying or parents' divorce," Albright said. "Rarely are children asked whether parents or siblings serve in the military. If their loved ones are away, these children may be experiencing feelings of separation or worrying about whether their parents will be injured or killed. If family members recently have returned from active duty, they may be displaying symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) that can make children's home lives more stressful."
Albright recommends school counselors, social workers, teachers and administrators re-examine how they evaluate children who are struggling or misbehaving in school. Albright says that when asking children about factors at home, school officials should determine whether parents or siblings are deployed or have been deployed because those experiences affect children's home lives and may reflect in their behaviors at school.
Schools can develop better interventions to help these children once officials begin to ask if behavioral problems may be related to parents' military experience, Albright said.
"Right now, we don't have a set of approved best practices for supporting children from military families," Albright said. "If schools begin asking whether family members serve, then we can better help these children."
Albright suggests developing interventions that could be implemented in schools that directly target military children and their family members.
Albright recently co-authored, "Effects of School-Based Interventions With U.S. Military-Connected Children: A Systematic Review," which was published in Research on Social Work Practice. Researchers included primary investigator Kristen Esposito Brendel and Mary Bellomo at Aurora University; and Brandy Maynard at St. Louis University.
Albright coordinates the military social work graduate certificate program through the MU School of Social Work, which is housed in the MU College of Human Environmental Sciences. The certificate teaches strategies for working with military personnel and families and is available to graduate students and current social work practitioners with both online and on-campus options. The School of Social Work also houses the Center for Education and Research for Veterans and Military Families (CERV), which provides training to a variety of professionals on topics that address the particular needs of veterans and their families. Albright also leads CERV.
The University of Missouri also provides support to veterans through the nationally-recognized MU Veterans Center, which connects military students, employees and families with resources. The University recently opened a Veterans Clinic at the MU School of Law that is staffed by law students and will help veterans and their families secure disability benefits.


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Martin Mathathi en route to winning at the 2014 Marugame Half Marathon (© Masamichi Makino (Getsuriku))
Kenya's Martin Mathathi fulfilled his role as the race favourite and won the 68th Kagawa Marugame Half Marathon, an IAAF Silver Label Road Race, in 1:00:11 on Sunday (2).
It was the third-fastest time in the race's history and just 23 seconds short of the course record set by his compatriot Mekubo Mogusu, who ran 59:48 in 2007.
A pack of eight runners covered the first 5km in 14:17. Just before 10km, Japan's Kenta Murayama edged ahead of the leading pack and he passed 10km in 28:29 while the chasing pack of five runners – Mathathi, the Japanese pair of Hiroto Inoue and Masato Kiuchi, Kenya's Daniel Kitonyi and Australia's defending champion Collis Birmingham were four seconds behind.
Shortly afterwards, Mathathi – the only man in the field to have previously broken one hour for the half marathon – started out in pursuit of Murayama and at 13km he caught his Japanese rival. They pair ran together and passed 15km in 42:48 before Mathathi pulled away from Murayama.
Mathathi continued to push the pace and he passed 20km in 57:06 before crossing the line 39 seconds ahead of the field.
Murayama held on to finish second as the leading local runner in 1:00:50, the third-fastest half marathon ever by a Japanese athlete, but was far from happy with his race. "I was shooting for a low 60 minutes. I lacked the endurance. I feel more disappointed with the race. If I am selected (for the IAAF World Half Marathon team), I want to run aggressively, (in Copenhagen)," commented Murayama later.
With the men's race in Marugame doubling as a Japanese team selection race for the IAAF World Half Marathon Championships in Copenhagen on 29 March, with the final decision being made after the National Corporate Half Marathon Championships on 16 February, it would be a surprise if Maruyama didn't make the team travelling to the Danish capital next month.
Inoue finished third in a personal best of 1:01:39 to also stand a chance of selection, while Kitonyi was five seconds further back in fourth place.
Further down the field, Ethiopia's marathon talent Yemane Adhane Tsegay finished sixth in 1:02:29, while Birmingham was a disappointing 15th in 1:02:40.
Japan's Eri Makikawa, only 20, was the surprise winner of the women's race on her competitive debut over the distance, crossing the line in 1:10:27.
Colombia's Yolanda Caballero pushed the pace in the early stages, covering the first 5km in 16:32. By 10km, passed in 33:12, only Makikawa was able to stay close to Caballero. They ran together though to 15km, with 50:03 being the split, and then the local runner pulled ahead.
Makikawa, who has a 5000m best of 15:45.57, passed 20km in 1:06:54, eight seconds ahead of Caballero.
The lead stretched as the line approached and Makikawa won by 18 seconds as Caballero finished second in 1:10:45, the second-fastest time of her career behind her personal best of 1:10:30.
"Since it was my first race, I was just going to enjoy the race. I never thought I could win the race," said Makikawa.
Another Japanese runner, Kotomi Takayama, was third in 1:11:19 while Portugal's Jessica Augusto, the fastest half marathon runner in the field, fell behind the leaders before 10km and finished fourth in 1:11:56.
Ken Nakamura for the IAAF


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American Physical Society Sites|APS|Journals|Physics Magazine
- American Physical Society Sites
- Publications
- Meetings & Events
- Programs
- Membership
- Policy & Advocacy
- Careers In Physics
- Newsroom
- About APS
- Become a Member
By Mildred S. Dresselhaus
As I start my term (August 1, 2000) as Director of the Office of Science of the Department of Energy (DOE), I see many opportunities, challenges, and responsibilities that I face together with you, the research community of the physical sciences. The American Physical Society has already done a great deal to improve the health of the physical sciences, and they should be commended for their valiant and thoughtful efforts. Since the Office of Science, DOE is the largest federal funding source of the physical sciences, I feel considerable responsibility in my new position to work closely with the American Physical Society to achieve a healthy physical science enterprise in the United States for the benefit of its citizens.
For several decades after World War II, the United States was in a leadership position in virtually all fields in the physical sciences. This benefited science because of the high level of activity and the high quality of the research that was carried out in the U.S. and because of our policy of welcoming the best and the brightest worldwide to join us in pursuing the scientific adventure of discovery. Our scientific achievements went hand-in-hand with furthering and fueling the industrial enterprise to the benefit of our citizens and society worldwide. According to a National Research Council report in 1993, the United States should be among the world leaders in all important fields of science. Such a leadership position allows researchers working in the US to follow-up breakthroughs made anywhere and on any topic.
Table 1 shows that the DOE Office of Science, is the dominant funder of physics research in the US and is also the dominant federal funding source for large facilities, such as synchrotron light sources, pulsed neutron sources, and particle accelerators, as well as mid-sized facilities such as sophisticated transmission electron microscopes, state-of-the-art mass spectrometers and ion beam facilities, etc. The Office of Science also has been a principal supporter of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in early career.
The last decade, however, has seen a serious erosion in federal funding in the physical sciences and the Office of Science; has been especially hard hit (see Figure 2). Under these circumstances, we are noticeably slipping in some all-important areas of the Physical Sciences. We now need to turn these trends around before the consequences of this under-investment become more damaging and widespread. I will need the help of the APS and its membership in reversing this trend for the Office of Science.
Let me briefly review how the various offices within the Office of Science map on to the APS Divisions and their members. Our Office of High Energy and Nuclear Physics is the primary funding source for researchers in the APS Divisions of Particles, Nuclear Physics, Physics of Beams, and also for the facilities (Fermi Lab Tevatron, the SLAC B-factory, the Brookhaven Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider, and the Thomas Jefferson Lab CEBAF machine, among others) that are necessary to carry out experimental research in these fields.
Our Office of Fusion Energy Sciences funds the vast majority of researchers in the Division of Plasma Physics and provides them with the sophisticated facilities needed for their research work.
Our Office of Basic Energy Sciences is a major funding source for researchers in the Divisions of Condensed Matter Physics, Materials Physics; Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, Polymer Physics and Chemical Physics, providing support for research projects, for staff, graduate students and postdocs to work on these projects, and for special facilities, such as the Argonne Advanced Photon Source, the Brookhaven National Synchrotron Light Source, and many others. Now under construction is the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. When completed in 2006, this world class facility will restore a leadership position to the US after more than a decade of difficulty for US researchers trying to work in this research area.
The Office of Biological and Environmental Research provides support to researchers in the Division of Biological Physics among others. It is noteworthy that the impetus to orchestrate the sequencing of the human genome came from the Office of Science. The next thrust of this program, aimed at identifying the functions of the various genes will be dependent on facilities operated by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, such as the synchrotron light sources and the neutron scattering facilities, for detailed studies of the structure and properties of biological constituents.
Our Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research, which supports computational science and simulations across all scientific subfields (and funds researchers in the Division of Computational Physics), is now engaged in teaming computer science experts with practitioners in these subfields to develop advanced computer codes for electronic structure, chemical reactivity, time resolved processes and many other challenging and important problems.
The squeeze on the Office of Science budget and the demands coming from the construction and operation of increasing numbers of complex facilities have made it impossible to support the number of excellent research groups we would like, and at a level consistent with the "cost of living" increases associated with scientific research. Major new opportunities exist in the areas of nano-technology, computational physical sciences and biophysics, and we need to fund new initiatives in these areas. State-of-the-art facilities in nano-lithography, focussed ion beam technology, clean room technology, and access to high speed massively parallel computers are among the resources that are needed by the university community, at affordable usage charges and with adequate access times. Coordination of DOE programs with complementary programs sponsored by other major funders in each subfield will be one of my responsibilities.
In the last decade, an increasing fraction of the Office of Science budget has gone into the design, construction, and operation of large facilities. With level budgets, the support for small group research has been seriously eroded. Because of the overall satisfaction with our facilities, user demand has increased, but funding has seriously limited operating time. More effective utilization of the most active facilities is critically needed. Our advisory committees are developing long range plans on the next generation of user facilities, setting priorities for facility selection and timing, so that we will be able to remain among the world leaders and not fall behind in important areas of the physical sciences.
The Office of Science has a major commitment to education and training through grants to small research groups who support the research and provide stipends for many graduate students, postdocs and undergraduates. The DOE world class research facilities also attract many young (under 35 years old) researchers as users. They receive much hands-on training from the staff, and benefit from peers at other institutions doing complementary research. Special programs for undergraduate hands-on research activities have provided an effective source for new entrants into physical science graduate programs, especially for underrepresented women and minority undergraduates. These programs need to be maintained.
To turn around the declining Office of Science budgets of the last decade we need annual increases on the order of 15%. Budgetary increases of this magnitude have strengthened the NIH over the past decade and more recently the NSF.
Sustained increased funding for the next few years is needed for the Office of Science to provide our unique contribution to the team effort in interdisciplinary research and in the development of important new state-of-the art instruments and user facilities.
I ask my fellow members of the APS to join me in telling the public about the vital contribution made by the Office of Science in the Department of Energy, and to communicate our vision to restore the US as one of the leaders in all important areas of physical science research.
Mildred S. Dresselhaus, an Institute Professor at MIT, recently became Director of the Office of Science at the Department of Energy. She served as APS President in 1984.
APS encourages the redistribution of the materials included in this newspaper provided that attribution to the source is noted and the materials are not truncated or changed.


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Thanks to OMSI 2 I now realise being a bus driver is extremely stressful. You're in charge of the well being of dozens of people as you all sit in a big metal box hurtling into the unknown reaches of time and space.
11 Minutes Of Cozy Railway Planning In Station To Station
OMSI 2 is a German omnibus simulator. Not only are key German bus routes from 1986 to 1994 meticulously recreated but so are the cold, vacant stares from the emotionally dead passengers.
OMSI 2 is avaliable now on Steam.
Wish to tweet words at me? I can be found here @laserfrog.


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Evening Gowns London
Here are all kinds of perfect Evening Gowns London with delicate design for every consumer. You can browse all of Evening Gowns London by different classifications. Moreover, we provide more other chic products in our shop online. Buy Evening Gowns London at wholesaler prices from JJsHouse, the leading wholesaler in China. All products are of high quality with adorable discount. What' more, we promise you the best service. Check JJsHouse and find your beloved products. You are welcomed all the while.


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MILWAUKEE -- Once again, an NBA team has parted ways with head coach Scott Skiles. Once again, veteran assistant Jim Boylan is being asked to pick up the pieces.
One day after Milwaukee and Skiles agreed it was time for a change, the Bucks said Tuesday that Boylan will coach the team for the rest of the season. General manager John Hammond downplayed the notion that Skiles had lost control of the locker room or otherwise felt friction with management.
"Scott and I did not have a frosty relationship. Scott did not hate this team," said Hammond, who noted that more than half the season remains. "We're not a team in dire straits ... we're expecting good things to happen."
The Bucks got off to a good start under Boylan, posting a 108-99 victory over the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday night.
"I almost called Jim 'Scott' at one point," said Bucks guard Brandon Jennings, who scored 29 points against the Suns. "But, hey, it's a business. I understand now. I've seen a lot."
Boylan said before the game his top priority would be to get the Bucks playing well again after losing four consecutive games.
If Boylan replacing Skiles seems familiar, it should. Skiles was fired as head coach in Chicago on Christmas Eve in 2007 after the Bulls started 9-16. Boylan, an assistant in Chicago, took over and went 24-32. He was fired at the end of the season.
"I've been down this road before," Boylan said following Tuesday's victory. "I won my first game against the Bucks when I was in Chicago, and it felt great. Feels great right now, too."
Hammond said he and Skiles had been having a number of conversations recently about the future of the team. He said there was no single factor in Skiles' departure, and that no other assistant coaches were leaving.
"It was a mutual decision. We both agreed to make this decision," he said.
Skiles had a 162-182 record in four-plus seasons with Milwaukee, with one playoff appearance -- a first-round loss to Atlanta in seven games during the 2009-10 season. He was a hard-nosed, defensive-minded coach who sometimes seemed to have difficulty meshing with a roster built around volume shooters like Jennings and Monta Ellis.
Skiles' agent, Keith Glass, said it was hard to pinpoint when Skiles began thinking of stepping aside, but all parties agreed the timing was right.
"There was no blowup. There was no animosity going on. I think everybody made the right decision for their own respective sides," he said.
Two other coaches, the Lakers' Mike Brown and Brooklyn's Avery Johnson, are also out of work in this young season. Brown was fired after five games and Johnson late last month, about three weeks after being named Eastern Conference coach of the month.
The 57-year-old Boylan has been the lead assistant for the Bucks the past four seasons. In a 20-year NBA coaching career, he has also been an assistant in Cleveland, Vancouver, Phoenix, Atlanta and Chicago.
Milwaukee started out a surprising 6-2, only to lose seven of its next nine. The Bucks followed that with a four-game winning streak, the kind of wild swings that didn't sit well with a coach who values consistency -- both in play and preparation.
Skiles did help coax a breakout season out of Larry Sanders, who has emerged as a rebounding and shot-blocking monster over the last few weeks. The demanding coach pushed Sanders to be more consistent, and the lanky forward/center has responded. He grabbed 20 rebounds against Boston on Dec. 21 to start a string of double-digit rebound nights in five of his last eight games and leads the league with 3.07 blocks per game.
Skiles' focus on defense was always going to be tested by a roster revolving around Jennings and Ellis, two flashy scorers who prefer to get up and down the court and lure opposing teams into shootouts. Jennings and Ellis have been giving plenty of effort, but the Bucks were in the middle of the pack in points allowed per game (15th) and field goal percentage defense (18th), below Skiles' lofty expectations.
Still, the Bucks are only a few games behind Indiana in the Central Division, despite injuries to Beno Udrih and top defender
Luc Mbah A Moute, and in seventh place in the Eastern Conference playoff chase.
Skiles' departure could be the first in a series of big shake-ups for the Bucks. Hammond is in the final year of his deal, while Jennings and Ellis can both become restricted free agents after this season.
Hammond said he and team owner Herb Kohl are in discussions about an extension, but he declined to elaborate on the progress of their conversations.
As for Skiles, he is now 443-433 as an NBA head coach in 12-plus seasons, which also includes stints with Chicago and Phoenix. He started this season with a host of new players, though the biggest trade during his tenure was the deal that sent former No. 1 draft pick Andrew Bogut to Golden State for Ellis.
"I never heard Scott say a negative thing to me about that trade or anything else," Glass said. "Everybody has their own opinions on the way things are done, but Scott was always on board with -- in terms of support -- whatever move was made. ... And I think he liked Monta. I never heard him say a word about that at all in a negative sense."
Glass said it was too early to say whether Skiles was looking to stay in coaching.
"Today is not the day for that ... but I'm sure we will discuss that in the next month or so," he said. "But he's not burning right now."
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


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Maybe there are only atheists in foxholes. If the faithful truly and fully believe in a protective deity, why would they dive into a foxhole to protect themselves from the bullets whizzing by ? A part of their brain knows damn well that if they do not protect themselves, the bullets will hardly discriminate between those who claim faith and those who reject it.
Cite this Page: Citation


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STANLEY, Falkland Islands, April 3 (UPI) -- New oil discoveries and prospects for further exploration are drawing investors to Latin America despite heightened tensions triggered by Argentina disputing British sovereignty over the Falkland Islands and its energy-rich deep water.
Amid renewed saber rattling over the Falklands, a British Overseas Territory Argentina invaded 20 years ago, only to be beaten back in a 74-day war, business interest is growing in the emergence of a major new oil province in the vicinity of the United States and other big energy consumers.
The prospect of large exportable reserves of oil -- and possibly gas -- within easier reach than oil from the Middle East has far-reaching geopolitical implications that are not lost on the investors, analysts said.
Uruguay invited British and French oil firms to prospect for oil in the country, the Falklands are hopeful of major new finds, Brazil is developing a multibillion-dollar offshore oil and gas production hub, Venezuela is reorganizing its oil industry and Argentina is sparring with Spain to force Repsol YPF to invest more into increasing oil output.
Read More
Aware of the developments, China is pouring billions of dollars into acquiring new energy interests in the region. Brazil is helping Cuba to expand its energy profile.
Uruguay's state energy company Ancap said UK's BP, BG Group, Tullow Oil and French oil major Total were awarded eight offshore blocks in an Uruguayan bidding round. Together the companies pledged to invest a total of $1.56 billion.
The four companies' bids beat 19 other offers, indicating the intensity of interest in Uruguay's energy potential.
Nine groups submitted the 19 bids for the eight available blocks. Shell, Exxon Mobil, and consortiums led by Spain's Cepsa and Murphy as well as Argentina's YPF were unsuccessful.
Brazil's success with finding deep-water offshore oil and gas is seen behind Uruguay's initiative to build up its energy industry and reduce dependence on imports from Brazil, Ecuador, Nigeria, Russia, South Africa and Venezuela. Ancap currently imports less than 1 million barrels every four weeks.
Analysts said the $1.56 billion investment over a three-year period could draw more investors to Uruguay's energy exploration program if the prospects looked good.
Uruguay's Industry, Energy and Mining Minister Roberto Kreimerman said at least $6.5 billion of investment could be required through 2015.
Uruguay's intended explorations are likely to be adjacent to Brazil's oil fields.
Sinopec, the biggest oil and petrochemical products company in China, last week completed a deal to buy a 30 percent stake in Petrogal Brasil, responsible for oil and gas exploration and production activities of Portugal's Galp Energia in Brazil. The stake is worth $4.8 billion and Sinopec will also loan Petrogal Brasil $360 million.


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About VMWare
VMware streamlines the journey for organizations to become digital businesses that deliver better experiences to their customers and empower employees to do their best work. Their software spans compute, cloud, networking and security, and digital workspace.
Read more about VMWare at https://vmware.com
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PDF.co is the secure and scalable data extraction API service with a full set of PDF tools included.
- Decrease data entry costs using AI-powered unstructured data extraction from PDF and scanned documents, invoices, reports, receipts, and agreements;
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- All documents and files processed by PDF.co are encrypted at rest using AES 256-bit encryption;
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- Runs on award-winning secure certified Amazon AWS infrastructure: https://pdf.co/security
VMWare and PDF.co Integration
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The Crusades
cooled by Lometa
|Children's Crusade
|Peasants Crusade
|First Crusade
|Third Crusade
|Albigensian Crusade
|Fourth Crusade
|Second Crusade
|Sixth Crusade
|Fifth Crusade
|Seventh Crusade
|God Wants You! (for the 3rd Crusade)
|Slay them all. God will know his own.
|Chronology of the Crusades
|The Counter-Crusade
|Knights Templar
|Library of Alexandria
|The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
|Deck the Halls with Gasoline
|Roman persecution of Christians
|Saint Catherine of Siena
|Frederick the German
|Bait al-Hikmah


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Five Groups That Really do Need Life Insurance
Don't need life insurance? Think again
If you have ever said "I do" or welcomed a bundle of joy into the world, chances are you have considered purchasing a life insurance policy. Married couples and parents are among the best candidates for coverage.
But if you are single or childless, don't automatically assume you don't need life insurance, says Stephen Rothschild, chairman of the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education.
"The reality is most people need life insurance," he says. "A simple rule of thumb is that if someone will suffer financially when you die, you should be covered by life insurance."
Life insurance can make sense even if you do not have dependents but simply want an additional potential source of cash, says Kristen Komer, a vice president with MetLife.
"People think of life insurance primarily to replace lost income or for a death benefit," she says. "But there are so many other ways you can use life insurance."
Following are five lifestyles that may require life insurance, even if you might not immediately think so.
Empty nesters
Ahhhhh -- the children have graduated from high school and college and are building lives of their own. It's the time you've been dreaming of, when you no longer have young, hungry mouths to feed or tuition bills to pay.
Maybe you've also dreamed of dropping life insurance from your budget.
Not so fast. For one thing, it's possible your nest may not stay empty, says Wendy Boglioli, a spokeswoman for Genworth Financial.
"We're seeing an increasing number of retirees caring for their grandchildren," Boglioli says. "So, there is a financial need to take care of those children."
Also, you still have a spouse who may need income after you are gone.
"If your spouse outlives you for 10 or even 30 years, would your current financial plan provide for them and ensure they can maintain the standard of living they're accustomed to?" asks Rothschild.
Plus, a life insurance policy can help you pass on some money to heirs.
"It can provide a legacy for your children or grandchildren," he says.
Finally, a permanent life insurance policy that builds cash value can give you an extra financial safety net for future unexpected needs or opportunities, Rothschild says.
Singles without children
One of the joys of single life might be having fewer responsibilities, especially financial obligations. So it may seem logical for singles to shrug off life insurance.
But not all single people are footloose and fancy-free, Komer says.
"A lot of singles are taking care of a parent," she says. "You see that more often, as people are living longer."
Or, perhaps your heart belongs to a charity. Life insurance can help you leave it a legacy, Boglioli says.
"By paying a little bit each month now, you can pay significant dollars upon your death to a charity that you care about," she says.
Life insurance also can cover your funeral costs and certain debt obligations, so loved ones will not have to pay those expenses after you're gone.
Rothschild cites a less obvious reason for young singles to buy life insurance.
"If you're young and healthy, you have a better likelihood of qualifying for a low rate," he says. "It may make sense for you to lock in the premium."
This approach makes the most sense if you expect to get married and have a family someday and want to keep costs low during those years, Rothschild says.
Small-business owners
Entrepreneurs tend to think of themselves as rough and rugged -- self-made types. But now that you've gotten to where you are, there's a team depending on you. That's one reason you shouldn't dismiss the idea of life insurance.
Also, if you buy a permanent life insurance policy, you can borrow against the cash value for business expenses, says Komer.
"If you had life insurance, you could fund a retirement plan for employees," she says, adding that providing such perks can help retain good workers.
Or, you could join your business partners in purchasing a life insurance policy that would pay out if one of you dies. Those funds could then be used to buy out the deceased owner's share of the business at a prearranged price. This is known as a "buy-sell agreement."
Also, consider "key person" insurance if you have a particularly valuable employee whose death could have a major negative impact on your business. Such policies pay money to the company in the event of that person's death.
"Life insurance for business needs can be complicated, so it is important to work with a qualified insurance professional or adviser who can review your options," Rothschild says.
Retirement is the time to relax, especially if your house is paid off and both you and your spouse are set with retirement income.
But you may still need life insurance as a way to protect your heirs.
For example, a policy could provide funds for your family to pay estate taxes and other expenses associated with your death, including funeral costs.
Retirees also can use life insurance for what Boglioli characterizes as "estate equalization." For example, imagine a situation where a small-business owner has two sons and a daughter.
"The business owner purchases a large life insurance policy to provide his daughter an equivalent share of the value of the business that will go to the boys," she says.
Brian Madgett, a corporate vice president with New York Life, says retirees who take out life insurance can spend the money they have saved over a lifetime without feeling guilty about depriving their heirs of an inheritance.
"Life insurance gives them the freedom and peace of mind to spend all their money and enjoy their retirement, knowing that they will be leaving a legacy in the form of a tax-free death benefit," he says.
Stay-at-home parents
In a world of stagnating incomes, two-earner families have become more the rule than the exception. But there are still cases in which one parent works while the other looks after the children.
Couples in this situation often purchase a life insurance policy based on the working spouse's income, but forget to account for the stay-at-home parent's value.
"I used to tell my husband while our kids were growing up, 'If I died tomorrow, you would have to hire 10 people to do what I do,'" Boglioli says.
Life insurance could help pay for the services the stay-at-home parent currently provides, Rothschild says.
"Consider what it would cost to fund child care, transportation, cooking, cleaning or any other household activity," he says.
But it's unusual to see couples purchase life insurance to cover the stay-at-home parent's contribution, Komer says.
"You see insurance coverage on just the breadwinner," she says. "Very few times do you see stay-at-home moms get coverage."
Madgett says that can be a mistake. He cites an estimate that the average salary of a full-time nanny is $36,400.
To cover that amount " you would need a life insurance policy with approximately $910,000 in death benefit," he says.


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one direction edible cupcake toppers
Showing the single result
Showing the single result
We DO NOT SELL or claim ownership over the images, character clipart or graphics; they belong to their respective copyright holders. We provide a service for creating a personalised edible picture & cake topper that is permitted for your personal use. It is this service you are paying for.
IMPORTANT STORE NOTICE: Pre-designed and CREATE YOUR OWN toppers ordered before 2pm are posted out the same day and generally take 1-2 working days to arrive. The LET US CREATE IT FOR YOU may take longer. We do reccommend allowing extra time to allow for delays. We are closed Saturdays & Sunday and orders over the weekends are processed on Mondays. Dismiss


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Thu 28 Sep 2023
Sat 28 Sep 2024
Aldwych, London, WC2B 4LD
Celebrate the songs of ABBA with the smash-hit musical MAMMA MIA! in London at the Novello Theatre. Find out more about the musical, and how to book your MAMMA MIA! tickets with Gardens Illustrated - Powered By LOVEtheatre.
Join the fun at MAMMA MIA!, the world's sunniest, most exhilarating smash-hit musical! Since premiering in London's West End over 23 years ago, 'the ultimate feel-good show' (Classic FM) has thrilled over 65 million people around the world.
Seen by over 8 million people in the West End alone, MAMMA MIA! continues to break box office records at the Novello Theatre, its third London home. Set on a Greek island paradise, a story of love, friendship and identity is cleverly told through the timeless songs of Abba, including Dancing Queen, Take A Chance On Me and Super Trouper. Sophie's quest to discover the father she's never known brings her mother face to face with three men from her distant romantic past on the eve of a wedding they'll never forget!
There's never been a better time to see this unforgettable musical in the West End, where it all began. Whatever age you are, you can't help but have the time of your life at MAMMA MIA!
At London's Novello Theatre, book your MAMMA MIA! tickets today!
'The sunniest of all musicals it provides new pleasures every time'Sunday Express'A glorious evening of fun'Daily Mail'The perfect ticket for a feel-good night out!'Daily Telegraph'Sheer enjoyability, a 5-star experience'Daily Mail'Fresh and exhilarating'Sunday Express'A terrific night out...great fun'The Guardian'Fantastic fun'Classic FM'Ridiculously enjoyable'The Daily Telegraph'If you are looking for the best night out in town you've just found it'Talk Radio'One of the most successful musicals ever'Evening Standard'The best show I've seen in years'Capital Radio'It's fab what an evening'BBC Breakfast News'MAMMA MIA! soars'The Spectator'Thank you for the musical'The Times'ABBA-solutely fabulous'Daily Mail


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Techniques for Teaching Law 2
by Gerald F. Hess, Steven I. Friedland, Michael Hunter Schwartz, Sophie M. Sparrow
Tags: Law School Teaching
360 pp $44.00
Designed for law teachers who want to improve their teaching and students' learning, this book offers general teaching principles and dozens of concrete ideas. The first two chapters present foundational principles of learning and instruction as well as insights from students. The next 12 chapters address classroom dynamics, technology, questioning, discussion, collaborative learning, experiential learning, feedback, assessment, and continued development for teachers. Each of these 12 chapters introduces the topic based on educational research and then offers classroom-tested exercises, approaches, material, and methods contributed by veteran teachers.
The co-authors/editors, Gerald Hess (Gonzaga), Steven Friedland (Elon), Michael Hunter Schwartz (Washburn), and Sophie Sparrow (New Hampshire) are experts in legal education pedagogy. Techniques for Teaching Law 2 retains the format of the first volume, but introduces new content and new ideas that instructors of any level and background will find useful.


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Light Painting Wireframing tool
The idea:
Create a tool that projects a laser net to combine with the Light Painting photography technique, so that when projecting this net over a scene, it "seems" to be a wireframing view of a 3D modeled scene.
Using only one laser pointer, create a set of horizontal and vertical lines that combined with the photo long exposure will result in a laser net. The laser pointer is moved by two RC servos controlled with a PWM signal generated by a 16F876A PIC microcontroller.
Once the circuit is done, the program can be configured to change laser speed, offset between lines and net size.
For the video I used a 7.4V LiPo battery, the voltage is regulated by a 7805, and the laser pointer uses one of the PIC 5V outputs with a 25 Ohms resistor.
Demonstration video with photo samples:


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How You Can Enjoy Better Hearing
Hearing Clinics of Wisconsin: Your Hearing Aid Experts in Appleton and Green Bay, WI
When you experience hearing loss, it can seem like something that should just come naturally is suddenly so hard.
When you can't hear as well as you used to, you might try to compensate by lip reading, sitting in the front row and watching others around you, to make sure you laugh when they do, even when you missed the joke or only caught parts of sentences. After a while, you can find yourself making excuses to stay home because, well–it just seems easier. That's no way to live!
At Hearing Clinics of Wisconsin, we understand how important your sense of hearing is to your quality of life and your wellbeing. Better hearing equates to better living. We want to make sure you don't miss a thing–from the clap of thunder and the noisy chaos of your grandchildren playing to the pattering of raindrops, even your cat's purring. With improved hearing, you'll be ready for all of life's best — and sometimes unexpected — sound effects.
Don't let hearing loss rule your life. Discover today what we've accomplished for so many others in Appleton and Green Bay, WI. Through our audiology services, we've helped them regain control of their lives. We can help you too. We can provide solutions to help make speech clearer through highly sophisticated hearing technology. We can also offer effective strategies to make communicating with family members, friends, and colleagues easier. Better hearing is just a phone call away!
Robert Broeckert
Meet the Team
A warm welcome from all of us at Hearing Clinics of Wisconsin. We look forward to being your hearing specialist and a trusted partner in your care.Meet the team
We're Here to Help!
Call or text us to learn about hearing loss and hearing aids. We can help cut through the confusion and find the best solution for you.Contact us today
Your hearing matters to us at Hearing Clinics of Wisconsin!
Take a step toward better hearing — call or text us today to schedule a free, no-obligation hearing screening.
Take the First Step Today
When you call or text us, we'll do our best to answer your questions about hearing loss and hearing aids.
Next, we'll schedule an audiologist appointment for your hearing test so we can determine if you're a candidate for hearing aids.
If hearing aids can help, your hearing specialist will explain the options so you can choose the right hearing aid for your unique hearing profile, lifestyle, preferences and budget.
We'll custom-fit and program your new hearing aids to provide you with the best hearing possible, helping you reconnect with the people and activities that are vital to your life.


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- About 3,000 Swedish people have inserted a microchip into their bodies to make their daily lives easier.
- People with the implants can wave their hand near a machine to unlock their office or gym, rather than taking out a key card.
- So-called biohacking is on the rise as more people depend on wearable technology and interconnected devices.
- Many microchip users are not concerned with hacking or surveillance at this point.
Thousands of Swedes are having microchips implanted into their bodies so that they don't need to carry key cards, IDs, and even train tickets.
About 3,000 people in Sweden have inserted a microchip — which is as tiny as a grain of rice — under their skin over the past three years, Agence France-Presse reported. The technology was first used in the country in 2015.
The implants have already helped replace the need for a host of daily necessities. Ulrika Celsing's microchip, which is in her hand, has replaced her gym card and office key card. When she enters her workplace, the 28-year-old simply waves her hand near a small box and types in a code before the doors open, AFP said.
Last year, the state-owned SJ rail line started scanning the hands of passengers with biometric chips to collect their train fare while on board. See how it works around the 2:24 mark in the video below.
There is no technological reason the chips couldn't also be used to buy things just like a contactless credit card, but nobody appears to have started testing that yet.
'A slight sting'
The procedure is similar to that of a piercing and involves a syringe injecting the chip into the person's hand. Celsing, who obtained her injection at a work event, told AFP she felt just a slight sting.
But the chip implants could cause infections or reactions in the body's immune system, Ben Libberton, a microbiologist at MAX IV Laboratory in southern Sweden, told AFP.
This clip from 2015 shows a microchip being inserted into a person's hand:
The rise of 'biohacking'
Biohacking — the modification of bodies with technology — is on the rise as more and more people start using tech wearables such as Apple Watches and Fitits.
About four years ago, Swedish biohacking group Bionyfiken started
Some 50 employees at Wisconsin vending-machine company Three Square Market voluntarily agreed to insert microchips into their hands, which they could then use to buy snacks, log in to computers, or use the photocopier.
Swedes seem more willing to try the technology than most other nations.
The country's 10 million-strong population is generally more willing to share personal details, which are already recorded by the country's social-security system and readily available. According to AFP, people can find each others' salaries by simply calling tax authorities.
Many of them also don't believe the microchip technology is advanced enough to be hacked. Libberton, the microbiologist, also said the data collected and shared by implants are too limited for users to fear hacking or surveillance.
Bionyfiken founder Hannes Sjöblad told Tech Insider in 2015:
"The human body is the next big platform. The connected body is already a phenomena. And this implant is just a part of it. […]
"We are updating our bodies with technology on a large scale already with wearables. But all of the wearables we wear today will be implantable in five to 10 years.
"Who wants to carry a clumsy smartphone or smartwatch when you can have it in your fingernail? I think that is the direction where it is heading."
Source: Business Insider


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Main Page
This platform is intended for evaluation by the GBIF-TDWG Vocabulary Management Task Group (VoMaG) in collaboration with WP 4 of the Virtual Biodiversity Research and Access Network for Taxonomy (ViBRANT). It is under development as an easy to use platform for:
- the definition, curation, translation, annotation and discussion of basic concepts and terms in biodiversity terminology,
- the collaborative development of vocabularies and ontologies
- and as a service for discovery and interlinking of concepts in biodiversity.
Each concept is described on a separate page. Concepts may be classes or properties or yet undefined. Concepts can be organized into one or more vocabularies maintained by a formally designated expert group. When the definitions for concepts are consolidated they can be included into one of the term vocabularies and published at the GBIF Resources Repository. The wiki approach is based on voluntarily contributions to maintain the concept descriptions. The approval of user accounts to this wiki is moderated—please request a user account if your are willing to contribute!
|This project is funded under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under grant agreement n°261532 (ViBRANT).
Disclaimer: Information on this website is provided at the sole responsibility of the ViBRANT Project Consortium. It does not represent the opinion of the European Community and the European Community is not responsible for any use that might be made of it.


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Infantry Armor Artillery Support Paramilitary Reserves
Warplanes Air Weapons Air Defense
Surface ForcesSubmarinesNaval AirMarines
Counter-TerrorismSpecial OperationsInformation WarfarePeacekeeping
MoraleLeadershipIntelligenceMurphy's LawWinningPeace Time
Electronic WeaponsSpaceNBC WeaponsStrategic Weapons
Sea TransportationAir Transportation
Next:LEADERSHIP: Going To War Over Gunships
January 3, 2013:
China has officially revealed its copy of the Russian Su-30MK2 and is calling it the J-16, claiming that the aircraft is of Chinese design. Many unauthorized pictures of the J-16 have shown up in the past year. These made it clear that the J-16 was a copy of the Russian Su-30MK2. At least 24 J-16s have been built and are being delivered to the Chinese Navy.
Russia and China jointly developed the two seat version of the Su-30, as the Su-30MKK in the late 1990s, and, a decade ago, an upgraded version (the Su-30MK2). China has received about a hundred legal Su-30MK2s but now nearly identical J-16s are showing up. Russia is not amused or fooled.
This kind of blatant technology theft is nothing new. The Chinese J-11 jet fighter is an illegal Chinese copy of the Russian Su-27. This plagiarism has been a source of friction between Russia and China for nearly a decade. It all began, legally, in 1995, when China paid $2.5 billion for the right to build 200 Su-27s. Russia would supply engines and electronics, with China building the other components according to Russian plans and specifications. But after 95 of the Chinese built aircraft were built Russia cancelled the agreement. They claimed that China was using the knowledge acquired with this Su-27 program to build their own copy of the Su-27, the J-11. Russia kept the piracy issue quiet for as long as it could and warned the Chinese that simply copying Russian technology would produce an inferior aircraft. Apparently the Chinese did not agree and are continuing their work on the J-11, using only, what they claim, is Chinese technology.
The J-11 is believed to now include better electronics and some other Chinese design modifications. China can manufacture most of the components of the J-11, the one major element it must import are the engines. China believes it will be free from dependence on Russia for military jet engines within the next 5-10 years. Currently, China imports two Russian engines, the $3.5 million AL-31 (for the Su-27/30, J-11, J-10) and the $2.5 million RD-93 (a version of the MiG-29s RD-33) for the JF-17 (an F-16 type aircraft developed in cooperation with Pakistan). Despite the ongoing technology theft dispute, Russia still sells jet engines to China for its illegal copies of Russian aircraft. China agreed, in 2008, to stop stealing Russian military tech but went on to ignore that agreement and deny that it had reneged on its promise to stop the tech theft.
The Su-30MK2 is a 34 ton fighter-bomber similar to the American F-15E. The Su-30MK2 can carry 8 tons of smart bombs and missiles. It can be refueled in the air and is equipped to operate over land and open water. The Chinese Navy is operating 24 Su-30MK2s and some of the J-16s that have already been built.
China also has a stealthy version (J-17) of the Su-27. There is also an aircraft carrier version of the Su-30 (the Su-33, obtained from Ukraine) that is now being produced as the J-15. China insists these are all Chinese designs that just happen to bear some resemblance to Russian fighters. In response, Russia had halted (for nearly a decade) combat aircraft sales to China but still sold jet engines for these aircraft. So far China has been unsuccessful in building copies of these engines. The engine sales are too lucrative to pass up, as they enable the Russian engine manufacturers to continue developing new designs. The Chinese plan to steal these as soon as they figure out how to handle the exotic manufacturing methods and skills required to build these engines.
Recently, after years of negotiating, especially over how to prevent technology theft, Russia agreed to sell China 48 Su-35BM fighter-bombers. This aircraft is the latest version of the Su-27 design, with a more robust airframe (good for 6,000 flight hours) and better maneuverability and reliability. It's unclear if the Chinese are also going to get all the improved electronics.
The long negotiations were the result of Russia seeking ways to halt unauthorized Chinese copying and production of the Su-35BM. This proved very difficult, especially since Russia and China are supposed to be allies these days. Earlier this year this deal was stalled because China refused to allow a "no unauthorized duplication" clause in the contract. The Chinese wanted to buy the Su-35s but were not willing to sign a binding agreement to not copy the Russian design. That appears to have changed, although just how enforceable this is remains to be seen.
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Free Life Commentary,
A Personal View from
The Director of the Libertarian Alliance
Issue Number 189
9th February 2010
Linking url: http://www.seangabb.co.uk/flcomm/flc189.htm
Informers and Benefit Fraud:
A Libertarian View
By Sean Gabb
I have just been sent one of the most disgusting newspaper articles I have seen this year. It is from today's issue of The Guardian, and describes how the British Government is considering a scheme to reward those who inform on benefit cheats. Astonishingly, the Ministers seem to think this will make people more inclined to vote Labour at the next general election. If they are right, I am not sure how much longer I want to live in this parody of a country.
But, now I have said enough about the proposed scheme, let me explain what I find so disgusting about it.
The first is that, while every respectable person has a duty to report crimes against life and property, and to bear witness if required, there is much difference between this and calling into being an army of paid spies and police informers. Such people are not needed to report genuine crimes. Their general use is to act as the eyes and ears of an oppressive state. Established for one purpose, their use inevitably spreads to other areas. There is a natural temptation for paid informers to become agents of provocation. There is an equally natural temptation for them to become blackmailers. The resulting culture is one in which friends drop their voices when discussing anything in public that might be overheard to their disadvantage – and where new acquaintances, and even old friends, are viewed with suspicion. My wife grew up in Communist Czechoslovakia, where all this was a fact of everyday life. It was this, far more than the police and security services, who were responsible for a collapse of trust between ordinary people that has outlived is cause by twenty years.
It may be argued, that unlike drugs and prostitution, benefit fraud is not a victimless crime, but is theft from the taxpayers – but that, while they may be expected to report burglaries, individual taxpayers have no incentive to turn in someone who is claiming while working on the side. This is true, but needs to be seen in perspective. No one knows how much benefit fraud actually costs – the figure of £1 billion is believed to be a gross underestimate. However, even if the cost were five or ten times this figure, it would still amount to barely two per cent of total government spending. Most of this goes on paying for services that, where not useless, are harmful to life, liberty and property. Look, for example, at Trevor Phillips. In 2006, he was appointed Chairman of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights at a salary of £160,000. Doubtless, this has since gone up. Even so, his initial salary was equal to more than 2,488 weekly payment of jobseeker's allowance at the maximum single rate of £64.30. In return for this, his most famous achievement to date has been to hound the British National Party into not insisting that its members should be white – while doing nothing to stop the various Black Police Associations from insisting that their members should be black. As if his published salary were not enough, Mr Phillips was revealed in 2008 to be the majority shareholder in Equate Organisation, which offers a "discreet, customised service" on how to handle the sort of equality issues that are investigated by his Commission. Oh, and the man who is employed to make then nearest things acceptable in public to puking sounds every time the name Nick Griffin is mentioned apparently keeps a bust of Lenin on his desk.
But if more loathsome and better paid than most of the others, Mr Phillips is just one among hundreds of thousands of New Labour apparatchiks given our bread to eat in return for oppressing us. I have no doubt these people collectively earn more than the £116 billion that is paid out every year on benefits. According to the probably fake statistics that attended the informer proposal, benefit fraud may cost every taxpayer in this country £35 a year. Well, I for one, can live with that. Once all the excise duties are paid, it is much less than a single tank of diesel for my car. The New Labour State costs me upwards of half my income, plus my liberty and my sense of nationality.
The only people who are really harmed by benefit fraud are those committing it. They lose yet more of their self-respect. This being said, the benefit rates are so awful that I fail to see how anyone can feed himself and his children without some cheating. Certainly, those on public welfare should not be able to buy cars and flat screen televisions. But they should be able to pay their heating bills and afford Christmas presents for their children without putting themselves into the hands of loan sharks.
And I do not believe that this sort of benefit cheat costs me anything approaching £35 a year. Everyone knows that the benefits system is being systematically milked by gangs of – usually foreign – criminals. Everyone knows that key parts of the system have recently been captured from the inside by organised criminals. Twenty years ago, a friend mine worked behind the counter of a Post Office in South London. He told me at the time how workers from the local benefit office used to come round to cash cheques they had written out to each other. I shall be most surprised if this turns out now to be the worst manner of inside fraud. And these are frauds that can and should be detected by ordinary policing. They do not require the machinery of a police state.
This brings me back to the informer scheme. I cannot help mentioning that it has been by Jim Reid, the Scottish Secretary. He is said once to have been a member of the Revolutionary Communist Party. Trust a Labour politician to have dropped all his proclaimed ends of raising up the poor – but not the police state means these ends were supposed to justify. I hate everyone of my generation who went into politics. Thirty years ago, they sneered at me and people like me as "selfish" and "abhorrent". They spent the next twenty years insisting to each other and anyone who was stupid enough to listen to them that, when they came into their own, ordinary people would live in dignity and want for nothing. They have since then matured into the worst ruling class this country has seen since the Normans assimilated. The expenses scandal is nothing compared with how they have governed the country in public.
Now, I suppose I should offer some positive recommendations of my own for dealing with benefit fraud. I doubt anyone important is listening to me. But let it be supposed that some political party were to consult me on welfare reform – what would I suggest?
In the short term, I would set the police on catching the organised gangs of benefit cheats. Once these were in prison or deported to their countries of origin, much of the problem would have been solved. For the rest, I would advise looking the other way unless some minor fraud came to the attention of the authorities in the normal scheme of enforcement.
In the longer term, I would try to make most of the state welfare system redundant by lifting the tax and regulatory burden that stops the poorest people in this country from looking after themselves. And this is not – let me say at once – some soft version of the neo-liberal gloating about forcing welfare recipients into work by cutting their already pitiful benefits. Though it may always exist in a free society, the wage system as we have known it during the past few centuries is neither natural nor desirable. It is a cleaned up version of the bottom end of the feudal system, transmitted to industrial society via the management of domestic servants.
Middle class people often moan about the surly attitude of the working classes – about their unwillingness to do as they are told unless they are banned from union membership, or unless their unions can be taken over by middle class bureaucrats who then sell their members out. But I can think of no middle class person who would like working class conditions of work. I remember reading some years ago of a B&Q warehouse in Bristol. The casual workers employed there were electronically tagged. If anyone stopped moving for more than ten minutes, a computer shouted a message into his earpiece to report to the management office. No one does this sort of work unless he is desperate. No one who does it can have any pretensions to dignity. To say people have a choice whether to work for B&Q is a patronising joke. It is B&Q or Tesco, or some other demeaning job. It is like saying a man has a choice of meals if the menu shoved under his nose offers turd sandwich or snot pizza.
What I have in mind is letting poor people start their own micro-businesses in the manner described by Kevin Carson. Let someone start a coffee shop in the front room of his house. Let a family brew beer and sell it. Let people open little schools to teach reading and writing. Let them look after other people's children. These things are currently not permitted. Or they are prevented by taxes and regulations that raise the fixed costs of doing business to the point where unreasonably large revenues must be generated year after year. Some people may get rich from doing this. Most will not. But enrichment is not the purpose. The real purpose is to give people the ability to survive without having to rely for all their income on salaried work.
It goes without saying that all subsidies to existing large businesses should be cut off at once – no more transport subsidies that allow goods to be moved about at less than full cost; no more interventions abroad to stabilise export markets, or secure access to artificially cheap goods and labour; no more taxes and regulations that can be carried by big business as cartellised costs, while flattening new entrants to the market; above all, no more limited liability laws that foster the growth of huge joint stock enterprises that are little more than the economic wing of the ruling class.
Where welfare is concerned, people should be enabled to join together in free mutual societies, accepting members and offering such benefits as may be agreeable to the relevant parties. This means no more taxes and financial regulation, and no more money laundering laws that, again, are little more than state cartellisation.
One of the failings of libertarianism – and I do not exempt myself from past guilt – is that we have too often argued as if actually existing capitalism was the free market. We may have conceded that business was too highly taxed and regulated, and that this frequently was turned to the advantage of the bigger firms in any market. But the assumption has too often been that a free market is effectively Tesco minus the state – that the wage system and big business were both natural and desirable institutions. As said, they are neither. The state capitalism that, in the 1980s and 1990s, we called Thatcherism or Reaganism was nothing approaching a free market. It was better than state socialism. But that is not saying very much. It has to some extent been our fault if ordinary people have been offered an apparent choice between a system in which a lucky few grow gigantically rich through connections and the ability to shuffle paper in the accepted ways, and ordinary people cannot buy houses and have children without going head over heels into debt – and sometimes not even then – and the present system of shadow boxing between multinational corporations and a huge superstructure of at best intrusive and at worst corrupt officials.
I might end by accusing the present Government of moral and intellectual bankruptcy. But this would be to absolve the equally if differently useless Tories. It would also be to concede that any of these people ever had anything good to offer. They are evil. Never mind the ideals they still sometimes ritualistically claim to guide their actions. All they have ever had to offer is a land fit for police spies and agents of provocation. They must all be destroyed – politically and financially.
NB—Sean Gabb's book, Cultural Revolution, Culture War: How Conservatives Lost England, and How to Get It Back, can be downloaded for free from http://tinyurl.com/ya4pzuh


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I adore this 'Owl Princess' teapot and cups set by Aun Pongtana of Coconut Studio Pottery whose work I featured previously here. Aun is a ceramic artist based in Thailand who handmakes quirky and functional ceramic products that are intended for everyday use. This cute owl set consists of an owl shaped teapot, two cups and a wooden tray, and is available in her online store.
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Owl Teapot Set
Labels: Pottery ·
2 comments :
- Lauralee said...
- June 5, 2013 at 2:59 PM
- Neon Rider said...
nice blog.follow you sweetie!!
follow me?:)
- June 6, 2013 at 12:48 AM


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Autumn Evening. North Springfield, Vermont
This was taken at the North Springfield dam, facing away from the reservoir, on a perfect autumn evening full of color.
Still Rush. Plymouth, Vermont
Long exposure taken at Lake Amherst in Plymouth, Vermont.
North Springfield Reservoir. North Springfield, VT
Early autumnal sunset at one of my favorite spots in the region. North Springfield, Vermont.
Lux Aeterna. North Springfield, Vermont
This long exposure photograph captures several minutes of light, with clouds streaking across the sky above the North Springfield Reservoir in the early autumn.
Jetty to the Stars. North Springfield, Vermont
Taken on the same September evening that I photographed the aurora borealis at the North Springfield Dam and Reservoir, this image depicts the Milky Way taken at 180 degrees opposite the northern light show.
Aurora Portal. North Springfield, Vermont
The aurora borealis was visible in several places in Vermont on this beautiful September evening. This was taken at the North Springfield Dam and Reservoir during a short window when the colors were visible to the naked eye, enhanced by a long exposure to soak in all the light and color the aurora had to offer.
Grafton Pond. Grafton, Vermont
Lupinus Tempore
June in Vermont. Grafton, Vermont
The Saxtons River (really a stream here) on a perfect June evening between Grafton and Cambridgeport, Vermont.
Comtu Falls
The latent Parks and Woolson building overlooking a section of Comtu Falls in Springfield, Vermont.
Comtu Falls, Black River Edition. Springfield, Vermont
Woolson Mill building on the bank of the Comtu Falls section of the Black River.
Otter Brook State Park. Keene, New Hampshire
Lux Diei. North Springfield, Vermont
Golden Hour in Grafton. Grafton, Vermont


text:
Our column about infidelity was quite the feedback generator. Here are some highlights from Facebook and in e-mails.
"My husband cheated with my best friend," wrote Kate. "They hid it for years and I didn't find out until I discovered one of her earrings in our car. I'd bought the earrings for her, which is how I started putting the pieces together. It was absolutely devastating. He got his though because she eventually left him after he left me. Payback's a bitch."
"This is a great topic, Jenniffer," wrote Adrian. "I expand on this question: With Facebook and Twitter, is it considered cheating if you're spending more time with your online friend than with your spouse or significant other?"
"My ex-wife left me for her old high school flame she re-connected with on Facebook," said Terry. "I found out by logging on to Facebook, and she hadn't logged out. I can't explain how horrible it was to read those notes. They weren't having any physical contact yet but the emotional connection was there and it was only a matter of time. We tried counseling but I could tell she'd already made up her mind to go when we started the therapy. She was just going through the motions."
"My ex-fiancée cheated on me with a guy in prison," wrote Ray. "She was calling him and sending him letters. (This was before e-mail.) She would drive to the prison to visit him. I busted her when the guy called our house collect from prison, and I was home at a time when I'm usually not. That was brutal."
"My husband and I both cheated, but now we are closer than ever," wrote Marilyn. "We were growing apart as many couples do. We got caught up with kids and work. We each spent more time with our co-workers than with each other. Since we both admitted to what we did to contribute to our marriage's demise, we were able to re-connect on a whole new level. You can't just point the finger. We knew we were both making bad choices. Now we make a point to check in with each other. A good couples therapist also helps."
"I notice that my husband is my best friend first," said Kristina. "Every situation is different though. I believe people cheat because they can't communicate. And if you can't communicate about your deepest feelings then why do you commit in the first place? You have to know your mate and talk about everything before you make a commitment to each other."
"I went to couples therapy for five years after I found out my husband was cheating online," wrote Jen. "He said it wasn't cheating because it was all happening in cyberspace, but I just couldn't get past it. The kicker was I always made the effort to spice up our sex life and he said he 'wasn't in the mood.' But apparently he wasn't in the mood to be with a real person."
And finally, Jerry shared his stories of leaving his emotionally unavailable spouse after two decades of marriage.
"An affair or breakdown in a marriage is not the cause but an effect that takes both people doing or not doing something for it to happen," he wrote. "I know this because after 22 years I did what I thought was unthinkable for me — I had an affair. It took years of being pushed away sexually and emotionally to the point that when someone came across my path that was nice to me, I lost myself in it. I lost count of the times I asked my ex-wife to go to counseling individually or as a couple. By all other accounts we had a great life — two great kids, meaningful work and overcame a lot of obstacles together. My therapist said I was 'ripe for the picking' when someone showed interest in me and the affair went on for over a year before my wife found out.
"We tried for six months to work it out and I was stuck between a rock and a hard place," he continued. "I have seen too many couples divorce and then go find someone just like the person they left only to once again go on the rollercoaster ride. I am sure there are men and women that are serial cheaters, but my thought is that it takes two to build a marriage and two to break it down. I never want this pain again, and am committed to being a better man because of this. It's easy to pass judgment on surface appearances about other people and their relationships without knowing how they got there."
Twitter: @jenweigel


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Dear Amy: Every fall, my sister, cousins and a cousin's sister-in-law have a weekend shopping excursion in our home city.
We stay in a hotel, treat ourselves, shop for our children and go out for lunches and dinners. It is a great time to reconnect.
I have a sister "Wendy," who we do not invite. She is offended to the point of tears when she finds we have not invited her. My two sisters and I are very close in age, but Wendy hasn't been as close to this set of cousins as my sister and I have been through the years.
We are all married stay-at-home moms. Wendy is a divorced, working mom with one young child.
There are several reasons we do not include her. We know she doesn't have very much money for such an outing. She also does not have many of the same interests as we do. Her life is quite different from ours. We're not interested in what she has to talk about. She complains too much about her aches and pains, and claims to have some kind of neurological disease that some of us feel is more psychosomatic than real and which she uses to avoid getting up for church on Sundays.
She also complains about her ex-husband who left her for another woman, but everyone knows it takes "two to tango" and she is not without fault.
We're all very active churchgoers, while she only sporadically attends services. Plain and simple, she does not really fit in with us anymore.
She takes it very personally, and last year even came over to my home unannounced crying about it, which upset my children and caused my husband to threaten to call the police if she did not leave.
Now she barely speaks to me and has told our relatives that I am a horrible person (even though I've helped her).
How can we get her to understand that she should perhaps find another set of friends whose lives and interests align more closely with hers?
— Sad Sister
Dear Sad: First, let's establish that I agree with your your sister: You are a horrible person.
Obviously, you can do whatever you want and associate with — or exclude — whomever you want, but you don't get to do this and also blame the person you are excluding for not "fitting in."
The only way your sister would ever fit in would be for you to make room for her. You are unwilling to do that, and that is your choice. But her being upset is completely justified, and you'll just have to live with that.
Perhaps this is something you could ponder from your church pew, because despite your regular attendance, you don't seem to have learned much.
Dear Amy: My boyfriend and I have been together for 2 1/2 years. It was great the first year but now it seems like all we do is fight.
It's gotten to the point where we break things.
I want to get past this but don't know how. We talk and then it's good for a few weeks and then back to the same.
Is it crazy to stay with him and try to get past this or should I leave him?
— Confused and in Love
Dear Confused: If your fighting is escalating and your peaceful times diminishing, you should separate in order to get a bead on what you really want, and see if you — and he — are both motivated and capable of committing to the hard work of changing (one person changing cannot fix this). A professional counselor can help.
Sometimes the only way to truly "get past" a relationship that has grown toxic is to look at it through the rear-view mirror as you ease on down the road.
Dear Amy: How about that letter from "Devastated"? This was someone who was prepared to turn her life upside down after knowing a guy for a month.
I think you called it right: He's a liar. She's a mark.
What could she possibly be thinking?
— Shocked
Dear Shocked: If people thought more, we'd all have less to amuse us.