About

This is the "About" subweblog included in the initial PivotX software. You can change this text by editing the file '_sub_about.tpl' in the orange mint folder found in the templates folder. You can do this by directly editing the file, or you can go to 'Manage Media' » 'Templates' in the PivotX interface.

Links.

To change the links in this list, edit the file '_sub_link_list.html' in the pivotx/templates /default/ folder. You can do this by directly editing the file, or you can go to 'Manage Media' » 'Templates' in the PivotX interface.

Tagcloud.

Foreign Service - FSOT, PN, OA

Advice and Questions

According to the Department of State (DOS) website (https://careers.state.gov/office), the mission of a U.S. diplomat in the Foreign Service is to promote peace, support prosperity, and protect American citizens while advancing the interests of the U.S. abroad.

To become a Foreign Service Officer (FSO) you must undergo three grueling tests or assessments.  Search the internet and you will be find the stories of many who have tried and a few who have tried and succeeded.

General information follows, but please refer to the official DOS website for the latest and official informaiton.  The info below is not guaranteed to be correct and up to date, so use it only as a starting point and for discussion purposes.

 
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raz | 16 03 14 - 00:45 | | Education | No comments

Can't afford college example. What should I do?

Student from Florida with dilema and advice from others

I searched ("googled") the pharse, "What should I do if I can't afford college, even with loans?"  Here's a great thread that does not give an answer but certainly raises some points to consider, especially one's attitude.  I found it at CollegeConfidential.com at the following URL: 

http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1497004-looks-like-i-cant-afford-college-what-do-i-do.html

 
raz | 28 07 13 - 12:39 | | Education | No comments

High Schoolers and Sexual Risk Behavior

Besides moral and/or religious grounds (not that one needs more rationale than morality/religion), can one tell a high school that sexual activity during high school has consequnces?  First, we need data to see the current landscape.  I found the following data from the CDC {Youth risk behavior surveillance—United States, 2011. MMWR 2012;61(SS-4).}  You can find it on the CDC website, but restated here for convenience:

Many young people engage in sexual risk behaviors that can result in unintended health outcomes. For example, among U.S. high school students surveyed in 20111

  • 47.4% had ever had sexual intercourse
  • 33.7% had had sexual intercourse during the previous 3 months, and, of these
    • 39.8% did not use a condom the last time they had sex
    • 76.7% did not use birth control pills or Depo-Provera to prevent pregnancy the last time they had sex
  • 15.3% had had sex with four or more people during their life

Sexual risk behaviors place adolescents at risk for HIV infection, other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and unintended pregnancy:

  • An estimated 8,300 young people aged 13–24 years in the 40 states reporting to CDC had HIV infection in 20092
  • Nearly half of the 19 million new STDs each year are among young people aged 15–24 years3
  • More than 400,000 teen girls aged 15–19 years gave birth in 20094
 
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raz | 28 04 13 - 01:12 | | Education | One comment