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Publisher's Note
by: Yogi

Number Two

the Yogster This is issue Number 2. Phew. Has this been fun, or what? Actually it has been a lot of fun. In fact, our editors are not allowed to write anything for us unless they are having fun, and I think it shows once again in this our second attempt at publishing a newsletter.
Unfortunately, life is not always full of happiness. This month two of our editors wrote articles that are particularly poignant. John (Dilbert) speaks to us all about the passing of a dear friend, Persh. Persh has touch my heart too and I feel sad to learn of his departure. He will indeed be missed by all those who knew him.
Amy's (QueenCeline) article has allowed us into her private life, and struggle, with a very serious disease called anorexia. Being an old fart I have taken illness in stride; part of aging. But, when a young lady is stricken with a life threatening situation as anorexia, I am awed by the courage she demonstrates by discussing it openly and candidly. She is an inspiration to us all.

One way we like to cover up our mistakes is by announcing to the world that this project is a work in progress. Take that to mean we are still trying to figure out how to do this right, and we are apt to create some confusion along the way. Ahem. Well. I took some editorial liberties in last month's newsletter and encouraged our readers to send any and all contributions to the AIH Newsletter Mailbox
aihphotoalbum@yahoo.com. That seemed to have caused some concern and confusion in that some editors want material sent to them directly. What is the average reader to do?
The answer is to follow the editor's instructions that are within their column. Some want Amail, some want email, some will take both, and some did not specify. If there are no instructions provided by the authors, then send any comments, questions, criticisms, or contrubitions to the general mailbox cited above. Mark and I review the mail and will forward messages to the appropriate editors. The important thing to keep in mind is that we do want feedback and contributions.

One last point. We have a team that signed on to write monthly columns, and they are doing a great job. However, several AIH members have suggested that they would like to write something, but to date they have not contacted us. I'm not sure why there is any hesitancy, but rest assured that we will not obligate anyone to make a long term committment. If you care to write a single article, please do so. Write about anything that interests you, be it controversial or boring. We want to see it. If you want to write, but don't have a clue about a topic, tell us. We have lots of ideas.

And now, on with the reading. Enjoy.
  - Yogi


AIH: the Community
by: Dilbert

Passing On

Dilbert It's only slightly less hard to say good-bye to a friend on the Internet than it is to say it to one in the real world. Recently, I had to do that very thing. Mark Connery was on AIH as Persh and had recently died as a result of prostate cancer. I have known Mark since the days of KnowPost and often looked at the things he wrote to me and said "Huh?". He was incredibly irreverent and very humorous. He would take something I had written to him and break it down, bit by bit, and use it to completely respond to what I had sent to him. His responses were always much more in depth than what I had originally sent. He was that kind of guy. He always gave much more than what was asked. He had carried a running gag about my war service from KnowPost to AIH and I'm sure that very few understood that he was talking about, but to me it was incredibly funny and I enjoyed it very much.

Mark lived at a protected enclave near Redding CA. He was definitely a Jehovah Witness' worst nightmare. He believed strongly in self and family and protecting what was yours. Just the kind of guy that you wanted to have at your back in a firefight. He wasn't all bluster and bravado. He could be a very caring guy as well. We have both gone through several decades of medical problems that included a lot of pain and medication. The kinds of things that changes people forever. He lived life on his own and died on his own terms. In charge of what was going to happen.

He was a great friend and I will miss him deeply.

AIH will be sending a floral arrangement to his memorial service on June12th in Chico CA. If you would like to add you contribution I'm sure we can get a very nice arrangement that will reflect how much we care about our friends on AIH.
  - Dilbert


Health Matters
by: QueenCèline

Anorexia

Queen_Celine The National Eating Disorders Information Center in Toronto has said that 85% of the female population has some degree of body image dissatisfaction. 85% is a huge number, and not one to be ignored. This is a serious issue among teenagers and adults alike worldwide, and not many know the seriousness of the problem.

Anorexia Nervosa literally means having a body weight 15% below what is ideal for age and height. It is the refusal to maintain a normal weight, or above normal weight. Not everyone who is underweight is anorexic. There has to be a refusal to maintain a normal weight in order to be diagnosed with Anorexia. 86% of anorexics report that signs of their illness began before the age of twenty. Of that group, half of them reported onset between the ages of sixteen and twenty.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), “The intense fear is powerful enough to cause individuals to diet to the point of starvation. While the term anorexia means loss of appetite, this is not true of anorexia nervosa. A person with anorexia is hungry but he or she is afraid to eat because of the fear… There is always the attempt to try to control eating because the fear of gaining weight. Often meals are avoided or eaten very slowly, pondering each bite, fearing that surely it will make them fat. These thoughts begin to control a person's mind 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Your entire life can be centered on this one issue, depriving you of enjoying friends, fun things and family.”

There are many factors in determining what triggers anorexia in a person. Some of the most common factors are a fear of growing up, the incessant need to please others, perfectionist behaviors, lack of control, lack of self-esteem, peer pressure, media, expectations, or lack of attention. Of course every case is different. One anorexic may be driven by all of these factors, while another has completely different issues they are facing.

In addition to psychological problems, anorexics run a serious risk for other extensive medical problems. The mortality rate for anorexics is 5% for the first twenty years living with the disorder. After twenty years, the rate of mortality jumps to 20%. Aside from death, there are many other complications anorexics face as well. Difficulty concentrating, depression, slow pulse, low blood pressure, chest pains, coldness, stunted growth, osteoporosis, thinning hair, low blood sugar, and cardiac arrest are all serious conditions that can be a result of Anorexia.

Anorexia is not something that ever completely goes away with time. I can attest to that, being someone who has been through hell and back with this disorder. When I was about twelve years old, my life began to spin out of my control. I had spent the past years of my life struggling to please everyone and make everyone like me, never stopping to take the time to worry about myself, and my own thoughts and feelings. I had no control, and I felt that my eating was the only thing I could control. I began to eat less and less, until I was finally twelve years old, 4’11”, and 70 pounds. Some control I found, right?

Things gradually got worse and worse for me, but I was too scared to tell anyone. Everyone around me knew. They must have. They had to have. No one ever said anything to me, though. Maybe they were as frightened and in denial as I was.

It got to the point where I felt like I had no reason to live, and no reason to go on. I did not want to get up in the morning. It took all I had to make it through a day, and all I had to somehow find a way to regain that control that I had unknowingly possessed at one time in my life.

These things never go away. These feelings of emptiness, shame, anger, loneliness, and confusion haunt me each and every day of my life. The key is finding a way around them. Finding a light at the end of the tunnel, per say. Finding some reason to get better, some reason to change. Finding that one source of motivation that makes you want to enjoy life and put the past exactly where it belongs .. in the past. There is never a day when I do not struggle with this disorder, think about it, harp on it, and relive every moment of it. Perhaps eventually these things will die down some, but I know it will take a great amount of time and effort.

Anorexia is nothing to joke about, and nothing to take lightly. Thousands of people die each year from this disorder, and even more are diagnosed. If you suspect that someone you know is suffering from anorexia, find them help. Take it from someone who never received proper help : Anorexia is not something that should be treated by anyone other than a professional.
  - QueenCeline


Literary Works
by: MystycalMage
MystycalMage For the next three columns, the literary column will include a short story (in three parts), and next two months, we will have a short poem included as well. I hope you enjoy.
  - MystycalMage

Short Story – The Man (Part 1)

Once upon a time, there was a man.  He lived like all other men.  He always 
had.  One day, when he got home from work, he found his wife and son to 
be gone.  He looked all over.  Everywhere they could have been.  Then he 
realized their luggage and clothing were missing.  He thought he had lost 
them forever.  He laid down in his bed and cried himself to sleep.
He had a dream that night.  In his dream, he was walking down a long, long 
road.  When he came upon a small boy, sitting on a large rock.  No one else 
was around.  He asked the boy, “Why are you out here?” and the boy 
responded.  “I live just over there.  I sit here everyday to wait on my mother 
to get home from work.”
Then the man asked the boy another question.  “Where is your father?”  The 
boy again opened up and spoke.  “Mommy said he died when I was two.”
“How old are you now?”
”Seven.”
“Where is this?  Where are we at right now?”
“Oh, this is…….”
The man awoke to his alarm.  His wife and son were still gone.  And there 
was no trace of them.
He walked into his son’s old bedroom and began to cry.  How could she have 
done this?  She knew how much they both meant to him.  He stood up and 
wiped away his tears, only to begin crying again.

He got ready for work as usual, got in his car, and drove to the office.  He 
arrived on time, as usual.  He joined his secretary for a cup of coffee and 
told her everything, as usual.  Sarah was his best friend, he told her 
everything.  He told her what he had found when he arrived home the day 
before, and all about his dream that he had had.  
“Really??”  She asked, surprised that Joanna would leave him.  “I’m so sorry.”

That night, he had the very same dream.  Exactly the same dream.  Everything 
was the same until the very end. “Oh, this is a place just outside of……….”  
The alarm awoke him again.

Again he told Sarah about his dream.  She did not pay any attention to that 
detail, just as she hadn’t the day before.

As the man unlocked his door to enter his home, he smelled something 
cooking.  He rushed inside to see if his wife and son had come back.  No.  
His mother was at the house.  She explained to him that her stove wasn’t 
working, and that she thought it would be okay to cook here.  The man agreed.
“Where are Joanna and Thomas?”
“Oh,” he said, not wanting to lie to his mother, but not wanting her to know 
the truth, “they are visiting her mother’s today.”
After they had eaten dinner, his mother left and he went to his bedroom, 
hoping what he had told his mother would be true and that his wife and son 
would return.  He laid down on his side of the bed and covered up, staring at 
the clock.  He took a deep breath and continued to stare.  “This time,” he 
thought to himself, “This time, I will turn off the alarm, so I can finish 
the dream.”  After turning off the alarm.  He began to think about Joanna 
and Thomas.  His tears serenaded him to sleep.

The dream, again, the same.  It neared the end, and he began to prepare his 
memory for what would be said.  
“Oh, this is a place just outside of Crag, Arkansas.”
The man slowly repeated it in his brain.   Crag, Arkansas.  Crag, Arkansas.  
Crag, Arkansas.The man began to ask questions while he was still asleep.  
“Why do you live in Crag, Arkansas?”
The boy answered, “I’ve lived here since I was two, that’s when mommy said 
my father died.”
“What’s your name son?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.  My name is …”
Suddenly, he jerked up.  The wind clanking the shudders against the house 
caused him to regain consciousness.  He had to fall back asleep……He had 
to, but he couldn’t until the next evening.  

At work, he decided not to even try to explain his dream to Sarah, because 
she didn’t seem to be paying any attention.  Instead, he tried to age his 
son in his mind to see if the boy in his dream could possibly be his son.

Days went by without another dream.  The man grew worried that he may not 
ever get to finish the dream he had started one week earlier.  Another week, 
and another.  Soon months had passed.  Still nothing.  He invited his mother 
over to cook again, thinking he could relive that night.  And again, he told 
her the same lie.  “They are at her mother’s.”  It didn’t work.  Nothing 
worked.

Everyday, he made sure to go to bed early and leave his alarm off, so just in 
case he did dream again, it wouldn’t be cut any shorter than it had been 
before.  Another year went by before he had the dream again.  This time, he 
got to get farther.
“Oh, I’m sorry.  My name is Tom.  Well that’s what my mommy calls me.”
“What is your mother’s name?”
“Everyone calls her Ann.”
Bombarding the young boy with questions, he tried to discover who the 
people were.
“What’s your address?”
“Mommy told me if any stranger asked me that, I should say that I don’t know.”
“Okay, I understand.”

As he lay there in the bed, still asleep, he was thinking about why Joanna 
would take Thomas away from him and why she would lie to Thomas.  Then 
he thought about where he was in his dream…he was in Crag, Arkansas.  He 
knew what the roads looked like.  He knew what the houses looked like.  He 
knew what TOM’S house looked like!

Standing in the middle of the road, he said goodbye to Tom and began to walk 
away.  The closer he got to Crag, the more he thought he could find it.  He 
awoke, still lying in his bed, still covered up, and for the first time in a 
year and a half, he was calm.

Want to see your work here? Email works to:
mystycalmage@yahoo.com or Amail MystycalMage.


Recipies
by: Kileana

Summer Time Recipes

This month we have some delicious summer time recipes. Whether you are going to a bar-b-que or picnic, these dishes are a must!
  - Kileana
 
Tomato and Cucumber Salad
Submitted by -  Imbizze

2 peeled tomatoes, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 cucumbers, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 sm. Onion thinly sliced
1 sm. Can of sliced black olives
½ cup of diced sweet green peppers

Dressing:
5 tsp olive oil
5 tsp cider vinegar
1 tsp. Of honey
½ tsp. Thyme
½ tsp dill weed
Garlic powder, salt, and pepper to taste

Combine veggies and the olives. Mix dressing and stir through the vegetables 
Chill before serving.


Huli Huli Chicken
Submitted by - ponyhead

Description:
An authentic Hawaiian recipe. Huli Huli means 'turn turn' or to turn often. 
Believe me, you can trust this recipe. The chicken will be cooked to perfection.

Ingredients:
5 pounds of chicken pieces
1/3 cup ketchup
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons sherry (preferred) or white vinegar
1 piece ginger root, crushed (mine was about 1 ½ square - use the garlic 
press to squeeze out the juice)
1 - 4 cloves garlic, crushed
Mix these ingredients and let marry in the refrigerator for a couple of 
hours or overnight before using.

Directions:
This is a grilling method. Get the barbeque up to about 500 degrees. 
Nice & HOT!
Place chicken bone side down cook for 10 minutes.
Turn chicken over cook 10 minutes more.
Turn a second time coat with Huli Huli sauce. Cook 10 more minutes and 
finally turn a third time and coat with Huli Huli sauce.
Cook 10 more minutes, remove from heat, and eat it now!

 
Indian Fry Bread
Submitted by - JackieB

This may not appeal to many people but I love Indian Fry Bread. You can 
put refried beans, honey, powdered sugar or any topping on the bread and 
it is really good. We have several places here in the valley that make the 
Indian Fry Bread. This is a recipe from the Cherokee Nation.

Ingredients:
3 cups of flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Add warm water in small amounts and knead until soft but not sticky.
Adjust the flour or water as needed, Cover and let stand 15 to 20 minutes.
Pull of large egg sized balls of dough, turn out into fairly thin rounds.
Fryrounds in hot oil until bubbles appear on the dough, turn over and fry 
on the other side until golden brown.

 
Raspberry Sun Tea

What you will need...
8 large tea bags
1 gallon glass jar
1 cup fresh raspberries
4 cups raspberry juice

Fill the glass jar 2/3 of the way full with warm water and add tea bags. 
Place the lid on the jar and leave out in the sun for 1-2 days, depending 
on how strong you want the tea. Remove jar from the sun and add the 
raspberry juice and the raspberries. Refridgerate and enjoy!

User contributions to this column are welcome. Send recipies to the Newsletter mailbox, or to the editor directly.

Guest Column
Submitted by: Iceberg

Caravanning

Caravanning is something I would higly recommend.Just hitch it to your car and away you go. A home from home. Here is a pic of mine with the porch awning up:



Being a twin axle van makes it easier to tow. We have taken ours to Cornwall on the West Coast and Great yarmouth on the East coast and also to the New Forest. Holidays are cheaper because you just pay a pitch fee and to hook up to the electrics.

This pic shows the back of the van where the electric goes in and also the water via an electric pump and our four track car that we tow the van with:

One time when we were camping,the grass was very muddy.We were using the full awning at the time which goes right across the van. When it was time to leave and we took it down, it got covered in mud. Me being me, decided when we got home to unzip all the sections of the awning and put each one in the washing machine. What I forgot to do before we went away again was to re-proof it. So there we were, at great yarmouth when a storm brewed up at 4:AM. My husband and I were sleeping in the awning at the time in a bedroom which attaches to the awning poles with bungy leads. The rain came through the awning and formed a large puddle which pulled on the leads so that the roof of the bedroom was getting lower and lower. hee hee. Other campers who were woken by the storm and was watching it, saw us bailing out and came to help out. The reason we were in the awning was because my children were in the caravan beds.

Here is a front view of my van with the locker where the gas bottles are kept:

We have made many friends through camping who we keep in contact with and meet up with at various campsites around the country.There is usually someone having a Bar-B-Q that we get invited to.

Our van has central heating, air conditioning, double glazing and a shower amongst many other things that make camping comfortable.

We started camping years ago with a frame tent and then went to a trailer tent and then onto a caravan. It is a good way of travelling around the country and seeing the sights.
  - Iceberg


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In This Issue

Contributing Editors - articles:

Editor's Note
by: TupacShakur

What World?

lala fishy Watching the news or reading a newspaper is sometimes is hard for me to do.. Recently i've been amazed at the things I see and hear in the news about our world.. The headlines seem seem so unreal sometimes.. The rise and fall of humans is being written in real time.. It's such a horrible thought to put out there, but it sure seems like reality, and it is.. Theres so many stories I hear about every day that just makes me realize what a great place I live in, even though it may not seem so great at the time, I get a wakeup call when I hear about some guy blowing himself up and killing 20 innocent bystanders, i'm glad i'm here in the comfort of my home just hearing about it instead of experiencing it first hand. In many ways it makes me appreciate life in general.. Having a somewhat normal day or what may seem as a normal day is something I don't want to take for granted anymore.. Simple things like sitting in the sun and hearing birds, cars, airplanes, voices (Even voices of annoying neighbors) filling the air while your whole world revolves around at that very moment.. In some other place, they're not hearing birds, they're hearing explosions, they're hearing people screaming in horror.. That's something nobody in this world deserves to be subject to. Everybody from birth deserves an equal chance to a great life, but some people dont even get a chance to start. The frustrations and troubles that bring us down in our daily lives can mean close to nothing in just one second.. To think that this life i have could no longer exist for me and doesn't exist anymore for so many people in the world is absolutely horrifying.. So many people aren't given the chance to live, no chance to experience, no chance to explore. That's not how it's supposed to be.
  - TupacShakur


One On One
by: mamasmitty

Interview: QueenCèline

mamasmitty Hello to all! This month, I have picked our much-loved QueenCeline for my interview. I think you will agree that she is a wonderful person!
  - mammasmity


MamaSmitty (MS): Tell us a little about where you were born.
QueenCèline (QC): Live in the Deep South! Born and raised, baby! I love it here. I don't plan on leaving anytime soon! I love the hot climate, the humidity, everything! There's just something about that good old Southern comfort that leaves you wanting more!

(MS): And do you have any siblings?
(QC): As for siblings, I just have one. My sister, Melanie, is 11. Sometimes we get along alright, but we're so incredibly different that we just don't really understand each other at this point in our lives. She's this little athletic tomboy who plays the guitar like my dad. I am SO far from that! I love love love to shop and do girly things. We both really love one another and would do anything for the other, though.

(MS): You have mentioned before that you have a God Daughter. Tell us about her.
(QC): My Goddaughter. Oh man, now you asked for it! I could talk about her for DAYS on end! That little girl is my entire universe, and then some. She's 3 years old; she has blonde hair and huge blue eyes. She and I are as close as close can be. We're completely inseparable. Where I go, she goes. Before she was born, I was really going through an incredibly hard time. But the moment I first held her and looked into those big blue eyes, I knew that I had something to live for. She is my reason. She spends most weekends at my house with me, and we just hang out. We also have one day a week, Tuesdays, where she comes over to my house after school and we play with Play Doh, go for walks, pick flowers, play in the sprinkler, color.. Whatever she wants to do. We really have a good time. Is it weird that the person who means more to me than any other living person is only 3?

(MS): You sound like someday you will want to have children of your own.
(QC): I definitely do want children of my own some day! 9 sounds like a good number to me. I'm such a dork .. I already have them named and everything! I just love kids. They're so much fun to be around! I would have a million if I could!

(MS): Will you be graduating this year?
(QC): I wish I were graduating this year! Unfortunately, I still have one more year. However, as I sit here typing this to you, I am also filling out a college application. I hate not knowing where I want to go! I have a few different places in mind, and I plan on knowing for sure by the end of the summer! The sooner I figure it out and apply, the more scholarships I could possibly get! I DO know that I want to study Journalism and broadcasting so I can be a news anchor, though!

(MS): What are some of the places you have thought of applying to?
(QC): As for college, there are actually 4 schools I have been thinking of and researching. I don't want to be too far from home, but I want to be far enough away to start a new life and have new experiences. I can't decide for sure what I want out of college yet. I really like Ole Miss and University of Alabama, because those are big schools that aren't too far from home, where I could get the FULL college experience. I've also been looking at Spring Hill, which is in Mobile, Alabama. Spring Hill is really small, though. It's about 1500 undergrads. I hesitate to go there, just because I don't want it to be like a continuation of high school. It's a really wonderful school, though. The last one I've been looking into is Tulane, which is in New Orleans. That one is REALLY close to home, and the campus is amazing. It's an absolutely wonderful school, too. I'm just not sure I want to be that close to home. I still have an open mind about the whole thing, and my mom and I are going investigating this summer, so that should help things out a bit. I'm about 90% sure I want to major in Broadcast Journalism, too.

(MS): Do you have an after school job?
(QC): I don't work after school. I do work at a snowball stand on the weekends, though. From what I understand, snowballs are purely a Louisiana thing. It's kind of a boring job, but I get to talk to a lot of different people who come to the stand, so that keeps me occupied. They must think I'm such a freak, because I just start conversations with anyone! But it's incredibly boring and tedious if I don't! This summer I am still going to be doing that during the weekends, but I am also going to be working 40 hours a week at my mom's preschool. Again, the whole kids thing! It should be fun!

(MS): What are snowballs, for those of us who are not graced with the opportunity of living in the South?
(QC): A snowball stand is where snowballs are made! A snowball is really finely crushed and compacted ice with a rounded cone on the top, and flavored syrup in it. There are tons of flavors you can choose from. I believe our stand has something like 64 flavors. It's a fun way to make money and keep cool in the summer!

(MS): What kind of hobbies or interests do you have?
(QC): Hobbies, I think I can elaborate on that some. One of my biggest hobbies is an organization called PRIDE. That stands for Parents' Resource Institute for Drug Education. There are PRIDE Troupes all over the world. Our Troupe is the only one in Louisiana, though. Last year we won the title of International Troupe of the Year at the International PRIDE Conference! Basically what PRIDE is, is a group of High School students who take a stand against drugs and alcohol and try to get others to do so as well. We go to high schools and junior high schools throughout the parish and perform songs, dances, skits, monologues, and other things to the audiences. We tell real stories of teenagers, children, and adults who have died because of drugs and alcohol or as a victim of someone who were under the influence. It's a really powerful performance, and we have one about once a month. Our Troupe is made up of about 100 people from the parish. http://www.prideyouthprograms.org/index.shtml
Another organization I am involved in is SADD, which is Students Against Destructive Decisions. The D's used to stand for Drunk Driving, until someone very near and dear to my school died of alcohol poisoning, at which time we elected to change the name.
I also just found out that I have been chosen to be a Student Minister for my senior year next year! I'm so excited! Student Ministers go on retreats with underclassmen, visit and talk to the younger students in religion classes, and act as an example for the underclassmen. We show the new girls around school for the first few days, and show parents around the school for things like Open House and conference nights. It's exciting, and really selective, so I'm really looking forward to it!

(MS): Sounds like you go to a Christian school.
(QC): I actually go to a Catholic all girls school! That has its ups and downs, but I like it alright.

(MS): You should be proud of all your accomplishments. There are so many temptations for kids out there, and it is hard. So, tell us some of your Favorite things!
(QC):
Food: Strawberries!
Restaurant: A little local Mexican place called Carretta's. It's AMAZING! I'm obsessed!
Movie: Pretty Woman! I love Selena, Dirty Dancing, Romy and Michele's High School Reunion, Steel Magnolia's, and Ghost, too.
Music: Well, I guess that may be a little obvious. But in all honesty, I don't listen to that much Celine these days. I am a major country fan, and I always have been. I'm not sure how the Celine obsession crept in there!
Lazy Saturday: Well, there aren't many of those for me. I work until 8 PM most Saturdays. After I'm off, I usually go and catch up with friends or something. I haven't had a lazy Saturday in forever!

(MS): Where is someplace you would like to visit one day?
(QC): I would love to visit New York on vacation. I'm not sure I would like the cold weather too much, but in the summer I hear it's really nice! I love big cities, mainly because I don't live in one. I just love the people, the lights, the energy, and everything that comes along with major cities like New York. So much history and entertainment. I would love to go to New York! However, Tahiti is a close second!

(MS): What do you like most about AIH?
(QC): What keeps me at AIH is definitely the people! It is so cool to me to think that there are so many different types of people here, and from all over the world! I have learned so much about different cultures and ways of life. Besides that, everyone here is just so wonderful! I love the support and energy that this site radiates. It's a nice place to be!

(MS): Do you have any final thoughts?
(QC): I don't think I have many final thoughts! I'm sure I've said everything that could possibly be said, and then some. This was a lot of fun! Thanks for choosing me!

Well, this concludes the interview for this month. If there is someone who you would really like to know about and want me to interview them, just drop me an A-mail!


Ask An Angel
by: Fallen_Angel

Advice To All

Fallen_Angel Dear Fallen_Angel,
Why won't people answer my questions about toe fungus?
Dear Fun Guy,
People are too embarrassed to talk about toe fungus. They don't want people to think that they have toe fungus. Also, haven't you heard? If you talk about toe fungus, you will at some point in your life have it, and it's not a very pleasant thing to have.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
I have heard that every time you learn something, it leaves a dent in the brain. Now, I have learned a whole lot of stuff and I am wondering should I quit learning, because I don't want my brain to explode?
Dear Brainy,
That is true, you never forget anything you learn. You may misplace it for a while, but you will always keep the knowledge. As for your brain exploding, you have no worries there. Some side effects of over dosing on knowledge would be: headaches, upset stomach, thinking you are dying, and head enlargement. The head enlargement isn’t from the knowledge entering your brain though, it will go away once the swelling goes down from banging your head against your desk.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
What ideal age should young couples get married?
Dear rolcam,
I think couples should get married whenever they think they can afford to live on their own. Mainly, I would think that the ideal age would be around 25. That way, they are out of college or at least close to finishing college. Education always comes first. Once you have an education, you have the option of getting a career. If you choose not to get a career, then you will always have the choice later on in life.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
What ideal time should young married couples let pass before they start raising a family?
Dear rolcam,
I think a good year would be enough time to wait. However, it really depends on how the couple is doing financially and how they both feel on the matter of children. Also, if there is a lot of fighting and tension in the house, then it's not a good idea to bring children into that kind of environment.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
Should elderly people be placed in nursing homes?
Dear rolcam,
If the elderly person has family or friends to take care of them then no, they shouldn't. However, if they have no one else to take care of them, then there really is no other choice. Also, when people are choosing a nursing home they need to make sure it's a good one so that the elderly aren't being beaten or neglected. There are far too many cases of elderly abuse and neglect, that's just wrong.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
Should elderly people make their will contents known to their children?
Dear rolcam,
I don’t think they should because they may have something of real value in it and then the children try to kill the elderly person just so they can have the inheritance. Hey, you never know.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
On the making of wills,should elderly people will their property only to the children? Or should they be more specific about their granchildren and great grandchildren?
Dear rolcam,
I think Elderly people can will all of their belongings to anyone they want. They may choose to will everything to a friend and none of it to family or vice versa. However, when making a will, you will need to specify the name of the person you want the possession to go to. It also must be spelled correctly otherwise they won't receive it for legal reasons.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
Hi,
I'm having a real hard time understanding Gwyneth Paltrow's name for her new baby.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040515/ap_en_mo/people_paltrow_18 She named the baby "Apple"
That rates up there with Michael Jackson's "Blanket"
what is wrong with these people?

Dear Mr. Stalk Celebrities are always trying to make their children different in some way, and their name is always the first thing people know about anyone. So if they have an unusual name, people will remember them more, therefore, the more odd the name, the more people will remember it.

Dear Fallen_Angel,
What is your best recipe for Rice Crispy Treats?
Dear Silver64,
PEANUT BUTTER RICE KRISPY TREATS

Combine the corn syrup, sugar, and P.B. in a Dutch oven on the stove or in a really big microwave able bowl. Heat gently until the sugar is completely dissolved, stirring a lot! It will probably need to come to a very gentle boil to do this. Remove from heat, and immediately stir in the rice krispies. Spread into a greased 9x13 or other pan, and chill in the fridge until firm. Cut into squares, and voila!

Here's the trick to making these hold together really well: When you put it into the pan, butter your fingers and press the mixture firmly into the pan.

May be topped with melted chocolate chips, in little drizzles over the cut squares (pretty) or just a flat layer over the whole pan, or you can substitute some choc. chips/candy for a teensy bit of the cereal.


User contributions to this column are welcome. Send questions to the Newsletter mailbox, or to the editor directly.

Puzzles
submitted by: Gadfly

Sucker Bets

Problem from previous column

You are given four coins of different weights and a balance. The 
reference weights for the balance have been lost.  How can you find 
both the heaviest and the lightest coin in only four weighings? Can 
you think of a way of applying this solution to 10 coins? What is the 
formula for the minimumnumber of  weighings required to find the 
coins of maximum and minimum weight  for n coins where n is even?

Answer to 4 coin problem. 
Weigh two of the coins. One of the coins will be heavier and therefore 
may be the heaviest coin but cannot be the lightest coin.  Similarly, 
the other coin may be the lightest but is definitely not the heaviest.  

Weigh the other two coins producing another set of candidates for 
heaviest and lightest coins.  

Weigh the two possible choices for heaviest coin to determine which is 
in fact heaviest.  

 Weigh the two possible choices for lightest coin to determine which is 
in fact lightest.  
 
10 coin problem

Now consider the case where there are 10 coins.  The generalization 
from 4 coins to 10 coins may be obvious to you.  Suppose not. It often 
happens that the solution to a problem becomes much easier when 
looked at the right way.  

Imagine each coin being labeled with both an H and an L to indicate 
that initially each of the coins may be either heaviest or lightest.  That 
gives two labels per coin for a total of 20.  We want to eliminate 18 
of these labels in as few weighings as possible to leave 2 labels 
corresponding to the heaviest and lightest coins.

Weigh two of the coins. For the heavier coin we can remove its L label 
and for the lighter coin we can remove its H label.  It follows that 
the first time that a coin is weighed it will always be possible to 
remove one of its labels.  The same does not hold for coins that have 
already been weighed.  If a coin was heavier in its initial weighing it will 
have an H label.  When it is weighed a second time it may again be 
heavier so it would still have its H label.  

The only way to remove two labels in one weighing is if two previously 
unweighed coins are chosen.  We can therefore divide the 10 coins into 
5 pairs and weigh each pair.  This will leave 5 coins with a H label 
and 5 coins with an L label.  It will take 4 weighings among the H label 
coins to find the heaviest and 4 weighings among the L labeled coins to 
find the lightest for a total of 5 + 4 + 4 = 13 weighings.  For an even 
number n the number of weighings will be n/2 + (n/2 - 1) + (n/2 -1) = 
3n/2 - 2.

Roulette sucker bet problem

A reader submitted this problem to the in the Ask Marilyn column 
written by Marilyn vos Savant. that appears in the Parade Magazine 
newspaper supplement.  I like it because I found it counter-intuitive.

You are at the roulette wheel in a gambling casino.  For those innocent 
of gambling who are unfamiliar with roulette, there are an equal number 
of red and black slots on the roulette wheel plus one or two green 
slots.  One of the types of bet that you can make is to choose either red 
or black.

Someone walks over to you and makes the following pitch: "Why should 
we give our money to the casino?  Let's make a bet on our own.  Each of 
us will choose a combination of 3 out of red and black.  When there are 3 
consecutive spins of the roulette wheel that match one of our choices 
that person will be the winner.  I will allow you to choose your colors 
first."

Even though this proposition initially sounds reasonable, being an 
independent minded AIHer you say that you will have to give it some 
thought.  This is in fact a sucker bet.  Suppose that you had initially 
chosen Red, Red and Red for your combination of 3 colors.  What would 
the other person have chosen?  What would have been your chances of 
winning?

Hint: Suppose that Red, Red, Red did eventually turn up.  How 
could the other person choose a combination that would be likely to show 
up before yours?

   The solution to this month's puzzel will appear in our next issue.

Humor and Quotes
by: Sterling

My Favorite Quotes

Here are some of my favorite personal quotes. I wrote this as a monologue for a fictional character to say in a play or movie, but it's definitely me talking.

I don't understand.

It's like I'm always looking up from a book, thinking about the great things it's telling me, and everyone I see is causing themselves trouble.

Arguing, complaining, trumpeting loud opinions. It seems like the louder they are, the less they know.

Why do we make things so difficult? We learn by living-- don't we? By experience, by reading, solving problems and laying out a clear path for ourselves.

I don't want to go to the bar. I'd rather spend that time with a book-- making notes of what grabs me. I love being in a library-- I feel like I could float. It's like I'm surrounded by a million brilliant minds and their life experiences-- thousands of years worth-- and they're handing me the keys. I love just standing in the racks.

I got dragged to a party last weekend. It's always the same thing. Who ever decided that our weekends have to revolve around rock 'n' roll, short skirts, and pissing contests? Party people rarely SAY anything-- REALLY say something. I'd rather listen to Mark Twain or Socrates.

Actually, I'd LIKE to know the private sides of people they're afraid to show. I have faith in people-- everyone is a treasure in some way... deep down. But they miss it sometimes and throw it all way. They make their own quicksand and slog around in it. It hurts to see that.

Sometimes people actually share that treasure with me a little. When they do, I get that floating feeling like I'm in the library. Like we're climbing the same mountain together. All is right with the world and I love everybody. But that just doesn't happen often enough. Why can't that happen more easily? More often?

If only we could just walk up to each other, randomly, and exchange the best of ourselves.

If you ever see me sitting in the corner of a party, clutching a book, pull up a chair and tell me something. Really tell me something.
  - Sterling