Ask Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I've been on antidepressant and bipolar medication for 12 years . The problem is, I feel I am being over medicated . I want to sleep all day . I am also legally deaf . I live with my parents because I am unable to drive . My depression and resulting destructive spiral caused my grades to go south in college which has interfered with my ability to find a good job in my field and not all employers are willing to make accommodations for hearing disability .
My parents does not treat me particularly well . The medication helped a lot , but being on the meds for so long has cause other problems , including issues with my short-term memory . I am tired of taking medications that I feel is hindering more than helping , I saw a counselor for a while some years ago , and that did me more good than medication could . My family refuses to listen to me when I tell them the new medications are causing excessive drowsiness . I have been told by them to simply suck it up . My family won't let me stop taking the medications .
I would like to find a job so I can earn enough money to go back to college , but I have no idea where to start . My only job experience is some community service I did as part of my high school graduation requirements .
Fed UP
Dear Fed Up ,
First phone or make an appointment to see the doctor who prescribed your current medication and explain the drowsiness . It is likely you can have it adjusted . Also you could use some emotional . Please contact the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance at dbsalliance.org . Then check your state , city and county government offices for jobs for the disabled , along with the U.S. Dept. of Labor doleta.gov and serovicelocatr.org at 1-877-US2-JOBS .
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
My husband is a chain smoker and has very poor dental hygiene and has lost most of his teeth He has never been an affectionate person , but when he does decide to kiss me , I am repulsed by his cigarette breath and the fact that he hasn't brushed his teeth . Therefore I try to avoid being near him .
My question to you is : should I nicely tell him he needs to see a dentist ?
---V
Dear V ,
Yes , dear . Otherwise , you will be stuck with this situation for the rest of your married life and over time , it will put a terrible and unnecessary strain on your relational .
Tell him that his breath could use some assistance . Make him understand that not brushing his teeth puts him at risk for heart disease . I suspect he harbors a fear of dentists , so assure him that current dental techniques take that into consideration , and there are varies ways to alleviate discomfort . Ask him to come with you to find a good dentist he is comfortable with . Also but him some breath freshener that he can gargle with .
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I have been dating a guy for about four months now . He is very sweet to me . I like his personality a lot . I work in an office as an office manager , he works construction . I think that's great , except he doesn't always need to shower and change at the end of the day . So if he asks me out on a date , even if he has time to come home and , shower and change , he often does not . I don't want to sound like a snob , but I really don't want to go to a nice restaurant or even to the movies and snuggles up next to someone that smells like dust and sweat .
Clean Up
Dear Clean Up ,
I bet your guy has been single for a long time . One of the most common "side affects" of a loving relationship is some good TLC. Chances are , he hasn't put two and two together at all . He is so eager to see you , getting to you is at the top of his mind . Bathing is not even n the radar . Definitely tell him , but in a nice way . When you are planning for your next date , ask him what he's going to wear . Encourage him by suggesting that he shower and wear whatever cologne you like that he wears s, or you could name a specific shirt and tie that you have loved him wearing in the past . Make it a sensuous experience . That should encourage him to clean up .
 Maxy

Canadian Remembrance Day Tribute to Canadian and American forces

November 11 is Remembrance Day in Canada. This day always unites us in gratitude and in tribute to our fallen warriors and  to our veterans. It always seems that we join hands for a moment from the Atlantic to the Pacific.



Marie Curie

Today is the birthday of Marie Curie, the ONLY person ever to win two Nobel prizes in two separate fields of science.

Ebola-tackling robots to be discussed by the White House



Robots have been working in disaster zones since 9/11. They can reach remote and dangerous locations and operate in places people can't go, including the rubble of the Fukushima nuclear power plant. So it seems a natural step to think about if and where robots could help in a medical crisis like the current Ebola outbreak in West Africa. It's a topic that will be discussed at a conference later this Friday involving three leading US robotics universities and the White House.

One idea which is being presented by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Massachusetts is to eschew designing new robots from scratch. That's because this would be a huge investment of time and money. Rather, WPI says, existing robots should be repurposed to work on Ebola-specific tasks.

 

Medical workers put themselves at risk to help tackle Ebola in West Africa

The other universities involved are Texas A&M and the University of California, Berkeley. One of the robots WPI has begun adapting is the Aero (Autonomous Exploration Rover). It was originally designed for space exploration but is now being converted to help with decontamination work by adding sprayer tanks to its body.
The idea is that a person sitting safely outside a contaminated area would control it remotely.
"We're trying to pull the workers further away from the disease," says Velin Dimitrov, a robotics engineering PhD candidate.

 

The Aero robot was originally designed to take part in a competition held by Nasa

"Ebola doesn't spread through air, so if you can tele-operate a robot from just outside it reduces the risk to the workers."

WPI's team hopes to deploy Aero among other robots to help with the decontamination effort in West Africa within the next three months. One challenge is the lack of experience robotics students have with the day-to-day needs of Ebola workers. So WPI has set up a makeshift tent on its campus to study the safety clothing workers have to wear to avoid the disease.

 

Researchers are trying to prove Baxter could be used to dispose of contaminated clothes

The university is also looking to repurpose another robot, Baxter. This manufacturing robot was designed to be fixed to one spot in factories, and has the relatively small price tag of $26,000. The thought is that it could keep health care workers safe by removing their clothing.
WPI is keen to stress that none of the robots involved would work autonomously - each would have a human operator based a safe distance away.
"We're not trying to make this a completely automated process," explains Dmitry Berenson, an assistant professor in WPI's robotics programme. "The key is you won't need another person to help take the clothing off and you won't need to risk another person being contaminated.

 

More than 4,800 people have died as a result of the current Ebola outbreak

"This is a point that we keep coming back to: How to keep the human element in the robot interaction?"

Something that the workshop also has to grapple with is the degree to which people with Ebola already feel stigmatized. Isolating them further by treating them with robots risks causing even greater distress.
The use of robots for telepresence - which uses a technique to let someone based elsewhere seem as if they are present by showing their face on a screen, using speakers and microphones for conversations, and/or mirroring their body movements - offers a solution. Robots could provide a cost-effective way to get not only expertise to remote locations, but also to let people interact with loved ones who have been isolated after showing symptoms.
WPI Professor Taskin Padir has also proposed repurposing some field hospital tents to become "tech tents". These would incorporate sensors used elsewhere to keep watch over elderly patients.

 

US firm iRobot has already designed a range of telepresence robots for use in hospitals

"A smart tent [would] have motion sensors that can deliver fluids, water, food and medicine to the patients and it can be monitored from all over the world," says Prof Padir.
"If I am working in Boston I can still consult with patients.
"The sensors are off-the-shelf devices that we can purchase in stores.
"[They can] detect a door opening or closing, we can even monitor if a person breaks out of isolation." 
The White House workshop will also discuss if people would accept help from robots during an outbreak. Ebola can spread during the burial process, so the teams want to know if burial robots would be accepted by local communities to transport the deceased.

 

Transporting the bodies of Ebola victims after death can present a risk of contagion

"There are definitely benefits to technology where we don't want to put human life in danger, but with that comes risks," says Jeanine Skorinko, associate professor of psychology at WPI. The danger, she explains, is that the desire to secure medical workers' physical safety has the side-effect of causing the patients and their families additional mental trauma.
Commercial robot companies are also getting involved. Helen Greiner is chief executive of CyPhy Works, which specializes in tethered drones. Its products include Parc (persistent aerial reconnaissance and communications), a drone that can carry out round-the-clock surveillance from the sky if its tether is connected to a power source below. She suggests that Parc's tether could also be used to send video and audio to and from isolated victims. Tethered drones, like the Parc system, have the capability to watch over an area 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

"The Parc system with the tether is very good for building a cellular network," she adds.
"If there was no way to have good communications, you could send this up with a small cellular box in it.
"It's flying up at 500ft [152m], so you don't have to bring in the infrastructure or build a tower to turn it on" she says.
Ms Grenier says she is not worried about the robots being accepted.
"If they are bringing you something that you want or need, if they're bring clothing and stuff, I think people will be enthusiastic."
These developments are very exciting. Robots and drones are  the way pandemics will be handled in the future. And with the way new viruses are constantly developing, we can expect many more pandemics in the days to come.

Navy SEAL Who Shot al-Qaeda Leader Osama bin Laden Dead Revealed, Nearly Broke

Robert O'Neill, former U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six member who claims to have fired the fatal shots that killed al-Qaeda terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad Pakistan on May 2, 2011

Robert O'Neill, former U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six member who claims to have fired the fatal shots that killed al-Qaeda terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad Pakistan on May 2, 2011

 Robert O'Neill, former U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six member who claims to have fired the fatal shots that killed al-Qaeda terror mastermind Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad Pakistan on May 2, 2011.

                                                       Osama bin Laden The Navy SEAL who shot dead al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden is now reportedly living in poverty after leaving the military four years short of being eligible to receive his pension, he claims.

Robert O'Neill, 38, from Montana, went public with his identity after meeting family members of 9/11 terror attack victims, he told the Washington Post. And now the heroic commando is saying he was left high and dry by the government he dedicated his life to serving.

"The families told me it helped bring them some closure," said O'Neill, of killing the al-Qaeda founder.

O'Neill will also be the subject of a two-part interview airing next week on Fox News, the network announced.

His identity was revealed in advance of the scheduled interviews by a Navy SEAL-run website as a form of protest over him planning to go public. It was also independently confirmed to the Post by two other Navy SEALs.

The former SEAL also told the Post he was concerned his identity would be made public by one of several members of government privy to the information.

O'Neill previously told reporters of his role in the assault, but only on condition his identity not be revealed. He was a member of the elite SEAL Team 6, often called on to perform the most dangerous of missions.

"There was bin Laden, standing there," the commando previously told Esquire. "He had his hands on a woman's shoulders pushing her ahead.

"In that second, I shot him, two times in the forehead," he recalled in the 2013 to the magazine. "Bap! Bap! The second time, as he is going down. He crumbled to the floor in front of his bed and I hit him again."

The terror mastermind died instantly after the first shot split his skull, O'Neill told the magazine.

O'Neill's career has inspired three movies: "Captain Phillips," about the rescue of a ship captain from Somali pirates; "Lone Survivor," which dramatized the hunt for Taliban leader Ahmad Shah; and "Zero Dark Thirty," about the bin Laden mission.

O'Neill now tours the country as a motivational speaker but claims he is barely making ends meet.

A man who earned more than 50 medals serving over 400 combat missions during his 16 years as a Navy SEAL does not even have health insurance, his father told the Daily Mail.

He also has no military pension.

Ask Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I am the middle sister of three . My mother has always favored my younger sister , "Louise" despite periods of seriously bad behavior . Mom has bailed Louise out of numerous poor financial decisions . She also takes her and her son on cruises and buys them expensive presents .
I recently found our Mom is giving Louise a monthly allowance . This is creating some resentment . I feel I'm being punished for working hard and making better choices . Mom says she will make it up to me when she passes , but I doubt there will be much left at the rate Louise is bilking her .
I make an effort to include my mother in everything with my family , but Louise only spends time with Mom when she being treated to a shopping spree . My older sister is in desperate need of assistance , and I want to ask my Mom to match what she gives to Louise . Am I being fair or greedy ? I am hurt and confused about what to do ?
Distressed daughter .
Dear Distressed Daughter ,
This has nothing to do with fairness . Your mother is playing favorites and your resentment is perfectly understandable .
Nonetheless , it's Mom's money . She is not obligated to give any of her adult children an allowance and if she wants to give everything to Louise , that is her choice . If it alienates her from her older daughter , that is the sad consequence.
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I have become friendly with a woman in my building who really has a good heart , but she is rough around the edges . She is so incredibly loud when she talks that I can hear her way before she gets to my door . She just talks at a super-high level . I feel like I almost need earplugs to be around her . I am not sure what I can do about it . I can tell she doesn't realize she is so loud . She didn't grow up with a family full of kids or anything . Who knows what's up with her , but I can't take it . I have never said anything before about her tone of voice , but I'm afraid that if I don't say anything , I will just have to avoid her .
My Head Hurts
Dear My Head Hurts ,
It is not rude for you to tell your friend that she is talking to loud . Consider it self-preservation . Be direct with her . Ask her to lower her voice . Explain that you have noticed that especially when she gets excited about something she raises her voice and sometimes it's just too loud . Ask her for permission for you to give her a signal to lower her voice . For example , you can literally use your hand to show her that you would like her to bring the volume down .
If she agrees , know that it will take a while for her to be able to honor your request . If she has been talking loudly for years , that is her natural volume . You may also suggest that she have a hearing test . Sometimes people speak loudly when they have compromised hearing .
Maxy

Dear Maxy ,
I just got a big check for a job I did a few months back and I was so excited to get some money that I went out and spent it all . I feel like such an idiot . But I had gone so long being broke that I wanted to treat myself . The treats just seem to grow and grow and get out of hand .
Now I am back at square one with all kinds of bills to pay and no money to pay it . I do have a couple of checks that I'm waiting for , but I realize that I have created a terrible pattern . I have done this before , I'm not proud of myself , but I know what I do .
How can I stop this cycle of binge spending and then being broke ?
Throwing in the Towel
Dear Throwing in the Towel ,
You need help , immediately . Many people with financial challenges such as yours get help for free from Debtors Anonymous , ( debtorsanonymous.org ) Through this program , you can learn what your triggers are and discover ways to resist the temptation to fall into your own traps . You have proven to yourself that you cannot handle your finances on your own . Remember that and get the support you need . Essentially , you are dealing with a type of addiction . Because it has to do with something you need in your life , it is something you cannot walk away from . Instead , you must learn to manage your behavior . It would be wise for you to get a compassionate financial advisor who can help you negotiate with creditors , develop strategies to pay down your debt and otherwise help you get set on a path to making healthier choices about how you live and spend . You can get free advice from the IRS , your local unemployment office and your local community center .
Maxy

Fossil fuels should be phased out by 2100 says IPCC

The unrestricted use of fossil fuels should be phased out by 2100 if the world is to avoid dangerous climate change, a UN-backed expert panel says. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change says in a stark report that most of the world's electricity can - and must - be produced from low-carbon sources by 2050. If not, the world faces "severe, pervasive and irreversible" damage.

The UN said inaction would cost "much more" than taking the necessary action. The IPCC's Synthesis Report was published on Sunday in Copenhagen, after a week of intense debate between scientists and government officials.
It is intended to inform politicians engaged in attempts to deliver a new global treaty on climate by the end of 2015. The report says that reducing emissions is crucial if global warming is to be limited to 2C - a target acknowledged in 2009 as the threshold of dangerous climate change. The report suggests renewables will have to grow from their current 30% share to 80% of the power sector by 2050.
In the longer term, the report states that fossil fuel power generation without carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology would need to be "phased out almost entirely by 2100".


'Science has spoken'
The Synthesis Report summarizes three previous reports from the IPCC, which outlined the causes, the impacts and the potential solutions to climate change.

It re-states many familiar positions:

• Warming is "unequivocal" and the human influence on climate is clear
• The period from 1983 to 2012, it says, was likely the warmest 30 year period of the last 1,400 years
• Warming impacts are already being seen around the globe, in the acidification of the oceans, the melting of arctic ice and poorer crop yields in many parts
• Without concerted action on carbon, temperatures will increase over the coming decades and could be almost 5C above pre-industrial levels by the end of this century

"Science has spoken," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "There is no ambiguity in their message. Leaders must act. Time is not on our side." Ban Ki-moon stated," Inaction on climate change will cost heavily"
"There is a myth that climate action will cost heavily," said Mr Ban, "but inaction will cost much more."
The US Secretary of State, John Kerry, described the report as "another canary in the coal mine".

"Those who choose to ignore or dispute the science so clearly laid out in this report do so at great risk for all of us and for our kids and grandkids," Mr Kerry said in a statement. The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, Ed Davey, described the report as the "most comprehensive, thorough and robust assessment of climate change ever produced".
"It sends a clear message that should be heard across the world - we must act on climate change now. It's now up to the politicians - we must safeguard the world for future generations by striking a new climate deal in Paris next year," he said.
"The UK has been leading the world and bringing the world with us. The historic agreement to cut carbon emissions in Europe by at least 40 per cent by 2030 effectively means our Climate Change Act is being replicated across Europe, just as it's being copied in countries across the world as they seek to cap and cut their own emissions."
Prof Myles Allen from Oxford University, a member of the IPCC core writing team, said, "We can't afford to burn all the fossil fuels we have without dealing with the waste product which is CO2 and without dumping it in the atmosphere."
"If we can't develop carbon capture we will have to stop using fossil fuels if we want to stop dangerous climate change."
The language in the UN's climate reports has been steadily ratcheted up over the years, but this publication lays out the options more bluntly than before. The conclusion that fossil fuels cannot continue to be burned in the usual way - and must be phased out by the end of the century - presents governments with an unusually stark choice. The IPCC has tried to make it more palatable by saying that fossil fuel use can continue if the carbon emissions are captured and stored.
But so far the world only has one commercially-operating plant of that type, in Canada, and progress developing the technology is far slower than many had hoped. So this raises the difficult question of how key governments are likely to respond.
Events in Copenhagen back in 2009, when a disastrous and dysfunctional summit failed to agree anything substantial, showed how easily rhetoric crumbles in the face of economic pressures or domestic realities.
The report's clarity of language over the future of coal, oil, and gas was welcomed by campaigners.
"What they have said is that we must get to zero emissions, and that's new," said Samantha Smith from World Wildlife Fund.
"The second thing is they said that it is affordable, it is not going to cripple economies."
In the IPCC's discussions on fossil fuels, there was a fierce battle over a chart that showed how much the electricity sector needed to curb its carbon. According to one observer, "the Saudis went ballistic" over the chart's inclusion.
While arctic sea ice is melting at an alarming rate, Antarctic sea ice is melting at record levels, Dr Helen Czerski reports. Another significant fight was over the inclusion of text about Article 2 of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
It quickly became a standoff between those who want the focus to be on cutting emissions against those who think the right to develop economies must come first. An unlikely alliance between Bolivia and Saudi Arabia ultimately saw the section dropped entirely from the underlying report.Some of those attending the talks said that tackling climate change and sustainable development went hand in hand.
"Different countries come to different perspectives" said Prof Jim Skea from Imperial College and a review editor of the report.
"But from the science perspective, we need them both. We need to walk and chew gum at the same time."