This is a fairly long topic concerning the procedure for changing laws in general, and more specifically, changing the rules regulating requirements to become a dentist. The same process applies to medical doctors. Immediately below Dofusdaddy has provided links to the internet sources used. Below the list I have copied and pasted the portions of each web site that are of interest to us.
Official California Legislative Information .
California Legislative Publications.
Overview of Legislative Process
State of California Office of Legislative Counsel
Tracing Current California Legislation
California Law Consists of 29 Codes
California Business and Professions Code - Dental Practice Act
Administrative Law - Administrative Procedure Act
California Code of Regulations Website
California
Code of Regulations Website search by Regulatory Agency
TITLE 16. Professional And Vocational Requlations
Division 10. Dental Board of California
Chapter 2. Dentists
Article 1. Dental Schools
Paragraph 1024. Approval of Dental Schools
*******************************************************
End of list of sources. Now I will provide details from each source.
*******************************************************
Official California Legislative Information
.
This the primary website with links to many other locations concerning California
Law.
California Legislative Publications.
There is a book here called California's Legislature which your can buy for
$5 or download in PDF format. I found out here that the California Legislature
consists of the Assembly and the Senate. The important part for you and me is
that either a member of the Assembly or the Senate can introduce a bill, that
if passed, becomes law.
Overview of Legislative
Process
This web page gives a good, simple overview of how legislation starts as an
idea and becomes a law.
State
of California Office of Legislative Counsel
If you give your Assemblyman an idea for a law, he starts here. He gives the
idea to an attorney in this office. The attorney writes up the bill so the Assemblyman
can submit it to the legislature.
Tracing Current California Legislation
Once a bill is introduced you can track its progress at this website.
California Law Consists of 29
Codes
All the codes that make up California law are conveniently listed by topic here.
California Business and Professions
Code - Dental Practice Act
This is the specific code which applies to the dental profession. What is important
to you and me is that all licensing regulations are controlled by the State
Board of Dental Examiners. They create the rules to regulate the profession
through powers under the Administrative Procedure Act.
Dental Board of California
This is their web page. The only thing of interest here is that two things are
required to become a dentist in California. You must attend an accredited school,
you must pass the state practical exam, and you must take the National Boards
(for dentists).
National
Board Dental Exam
The following is an except from the ADA web page concerning their authority.
As you can see, it is up to the state to decided whether or not you are required
to take the National Boards.
The level of government responsible for licensure is the state, district or dependency. A license issued by one such jurisdiction is applicable only within the geographic confines of that particular jurisdiction. Agencies in state government that administer dental licensure under laws adopted by state legislatures typically are called state boards of dentistry. Specific dental licensure requirements vary among jurisdictions, but all jurisdictions have three types of requirements: an educational requirement, a written examination requirement and a clinical examination requirement. All jurisdictions accept graduates of dental schools accredited directly by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association as fulfilling the educational requirement. Most jurisdictions also accept graduates of Canadian dental schools that are accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. The National Board Dental Examination is intended to fulfill or partially fulfill the written examination requirements, but acceptance of National Board scores is completely at the discretion of the individual state. A state may place any limit on acceptance of National Board scores that it deems appropriate. For example, some states accept National Board scores only if earned within the last 10 or 15 years.
Also note that the dental schools accepted by the California State Dental Board must be accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. The ADA (American Dental Association) is an organization that any dentist may join voluntarily if he so wishes. It has no government or legal connection.
As you can see, when we talk about state regulation of dentistry, we are talking about the rules the California State Board makes up.
Administrative
Law - Administrative Procedure Act
The rules that are passed by the California Dental Board, are done so in accordance
with the Administrative Procedure Act.
California Code of Regulations Website
The rules the California Dental Board passes are listed in the California Code
of Regulations.
California
Code of Regulations Website search by Regulatory Agency
TITLE 16. Professional And Vocational Requlations
Division 10. Dental Board of California
Chapter 2. Dentists
Article 1. Dental Schools
Paragraph 1024. Approval of Dental Schools
If we do a search of codes by Regulatory Agency (California State Board), we will find all the applicable dental codes. Listed in these codes is the requirement that approved dental schools have the equivalent of a four year curriculum.
In summary, the rules controlling the practice of dentistry in California are governed by the California State Board of Dental Examiners. The Dental Practice Act describes what qualifications these people must have and how they are selected. If we want change, public pressure must influence who sits on the board and what decisions they make.
Use the standard stuff at Home Depot, just like putting in a drip irrigation
system. I don't remember the exact name of all the items you need, but the people
at Home Depot can help you. Dofusdaddy can't remember where he stored the stuff.
a couple 50 foot rolls of the 1/4 inch premium rubber tubing
a roll of the 1 inch plastic tubing
a tool to perforate the 1 inch plastic tubing
a filter - you must have this
a bunch of 1/4 inch tee's, angle's, and stops for the 1/4 inch tubing
a couple of tee's, angles, and stops for the 1 inch plastic tubing
a connector to screw onto your hose bib
Some 1/2 gallon per minute misters with bayonet attachments (the screw
on, threaded type won't work), these are ulta fine misters. Be sure to get the
type with a screw off cap, so you can clean them if they clog.
Some 3-4 gallon per minute misters with bayonet attachments for the roof.
I had to order these special at ww.dripworksusa.com.
Again, be sure to order bayonet type connectors with twist off caps.
I used five 1/2 gallon per minute misters on my porch, and about fifteen 3-4 gallon per minute misters on my roof. It cools my house down about 10 degrees. And it is really nice on the porch. Everything fits together by hand. The only problem I had was the tubing coming apart at the connectors. The 1 inch plastic pipe and connectors can be glued with the same glue you use for PVC pipe. The 1/4 inch rubber tubing can be twist wired to the connectors with a short piece of wire. You only need to wire or glue if the connections keep coming apart.
Dofusdaddy got tired of our washer and dryer walking all over the floor on spin cycles. At Lowes we got a set of interlocking rubber mats for $25. At Lowes we also got furniture coasters that have a comb like base of short plastic prongs. We put one coaster under each leg of the washer and dryer, and the plastic prongs punched into the rubber mats, anchoring the coasters in place. The washer and dryer legs set in the coasters, and held the washer and dryer in place. The rubber pads dampened the vibration on spin cycles.
(A quick note to save you embarassment: NetBEUI is pronounced net-buoy.)
Computer networking is necessary for several computers to share a single printer. Also, computer networking allows file sharing which would allow several computers to share a single CD Burner on one computer.
NOTE: Microsoft suggests using a sever computer if you are networking more than 10 computers. I really don't see a problem with networking up to 15 computers without a server. A server requires full time effort to maintain, is much more expensive, and is an infinitely more complicated system. If you are networking small groups of computers they are called workgroups.
First, some quick background on the operating systems developed by Microsoft. There were two lines of development. The first was DOS - Win3.1 - Win95 -Win98 - Millenium, which used a regular file system. The second was NT - Win2000 - XP, which used the NTFS file system. The NTFS file system won out because it allows greater security and control over files. The extra security of the NTFS file system is worthless to a home user like myself, and requires a much better computer with much more memory. (I am quite happy with Win98. I believe Microsoft is changing the operating system faster than society can keep up.) The reason I discuss this is that networking is different for the Win2000 - XP as compared to Win98. The system for networking Win98 is called NetBEUI. The system for networking Win2000 - XP is called TCP/IP. You can add NetBEUI networking to XP, and I prefer doing this because I use NetBEUI more often. The Microsoft recommended way to network computers with Win2000 - XP is use of a workgroup. This is not difficult to do, but each computer in a workgroup must have an identical user name and password. (Remember that each computer in Win2000 - XP can have many user accounts on it.) If a user does not have an account on a computer, he will not have access to it.
Networking with Win98
Dofusdaddy gives a quick rundown from his notes.
1. Install NIC and make internet connection using wizard.
2. Install NetBEUI (Add-Protocol-Microsoft-NetBEUI)
3. Install Sharing of Folders (File and Print Sharing)
4. Provide same Workgroup for both computers. Put in computer name. (Identification-Computer
name-Workgroup)
5. Restart system.
6. Both computers should show up in Network Neighborhood.
7. You can share printers and folders (not files by themselves). Right click
on the folder you want to share, go to properties and select sharing.
Defaults You Should Have in Network dialog box for Win98
1. Configuration
a. Client for Microsoft Networks
b. Microsoft Family Logon
c.10/100Mbps PCI Adapter
d. NetBEUI -> 10/100Mbps
e. PCI Adapter TCP/IP -> 10/100Mbps PCI Adapter
f. File and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks
2. Microsoft Family Logon (boots without logon screen - preferred)
(Client for Microsoft Networks - get logon screen when you boot)
3. Identification
Computer name (any short name)
4. Workgroup
(same as other computer)
5. Access Control
Share-level access control
Networking with Win2000 - XP using TCP/IP and Workgroups
This is not difficult. Unfortunately, because I don't do this often I don't have complete notes. You must create an identical user and password on each computer that is networked, and you must be logged on as that user to each computer you want access to. The user's must all belong to the same workgroup. You can then share folders or printers.
Networking with XP using NetBEUI - Click here for a description from the Microsoft knowledge base.
We all know Windows Media Player as the window that opens when you play music or movies on you computer. QuickTime Player has traditionally been packaged with Mac's, but it also works with regular PC's. I have found howerver that QuickTime Player works with a wider variety of file formats, which is critical to me. The achived files at the United States Patent Office can not be viewed with Windows Media Player. The movies from my camera can not be viewed using Windows Media Player. But I can view these files with QuickTime Player. So if you have a movie or picture that Windows Media Player won't read, try QuickTime Player. You can download QuickTime Player for free at sites like www.tucows.com.
First I will start with some sources of information on energy efficient home. The California Energy Commission, www.consumerenergycenter.org, Cool Roofing Council, Floridal Solar Energy Center (Publications), www.fsec.ucf.edu.
Energy Efficient Homes. The following are the major suggestions I gleaned
from my research:
1. White metal roofs or white tile roofs can reflect up to 70% of the solar
radiation that hits them.
2. It is very important to thoroughly insulate your ceiling (standard pink fiber
glass insulation). Bring it up to code.
3. Foil barriers in attics significantly help. Make sure the foil faces the
attic airspace. If the foil barrier is on the roof sheathing, make sure the
foil is face down, in the attic space. You can also retrofit foil barriers by
tacking it to the top of the attic.
4. Use energy efficient flourescent bulbs (such as General Electric D-lamp)
and appliances. They use less electricity. Remember that extra electricity from
inefficient appliances heats the interior of your house. This adds to cooling
expenses.
5. If you have a pool, use an energy efficient pump, such as the 3/4 HP Max-E-Glas
PESDL (900W?).
6. In hot climates you may want to consider a solar water heating system ($1000),
such as made by Solar Development Inc.
7. Use large heating and air conditioning ducts and avoid bottleneckss. This
reduces the fan power required to move air through the ducts.
Cool Storage Roofs. Cool storage roofs are a fairly new development. They use roof sprinkler systems to provide cooling for the home. There is probably a 75% to 85% savings in your air conditioning bill. First I am going to give a brief analysis of the options.
The first of the systems utilizes a 3 1/2 inch pond of water on your roof. The pond is covered with floating, reflective insulated panels. During the day sprinkler systems run to wet the floating panels for evaporative cooling. The pond absorbs excess heat which is released at night. Apparently there has been limited success in earthquake areas, such as California, in getting this design approved. (The water is a very heavy roof load.)
Another option involves pumping cool water through pipes in the floor. There are three problems here. First you must plan for pipe placement in initial construction. Second there is the problem of pipe maintenance in a concrete slab. Third the floor is cold. Most people prefer cool air with a warmer floor.
The option I prefer is the use of a roof sprinkler system with storage of the cool water in a tank. The cool water runs through coils in front of a traditional central air conditioning fan to cool the house. This design avoids the pond on the roof, and supplies cool air through the heating and air conditioning system. Click here to go to the WhiteCap web page. This company completed a working installation of this model, and they describe the installation in detail.
Using this model you would prefer using a white or reflective surface for the roof. Theoretically this system should work equally well for flat, or peaked types of roofs. The only problem with peaked roofs is the evaporation rate will be higher. I am not sure how much higher the evaporation rate would be, and if the additional evaporation of water is a significant cost. You should definitely use a high efficiency pump, as described under the Energy Efficient Homes paragraph above.
Note: There is one addition I would make to their system. The existing system has a tank to hold cool water from running the sprinklers at night. This cool water tank is used for air conditioning during the day. You should add a second tank to recycle water that is sprayed on the roof during the day. Spraying water on the roof during the day will dramatically reduce the temperature of the roof.
When I first looked into this I thought a flat roof was required, and I investigated different flat roofing systems. Click here for a good link to flat roofing systems. Here is another link to a www.socalfoam.com which puts in foam flat roofs.
Passive solar heating can dramatically reduce heating bills in the southwestern U.S. Bascially you build your house with sun collecting windows facing South and a little East. During the summer you shade these windows by fastening plywood over permanent awning beams. The reason for orienting a little East is to get early morning sunlight in the winter to warm the house, and to avoid late afternoon sunshine in the summer. The sunlight from the windows will shine on a dark tiled floor and block wall (the empty spaces in the block should be filled with concrete.) They act to absorb the heat. It may seem that the more windows you have facing South, the more heat you would collect. But remember that after the sun sets you will lose heat rapidly through the windows. The more windows the quicker the heat loss will be. Experienced builders suggest using full size windows, but you do not want a wall of glass. I believe you should be able to calculate the optimum area of the windows given the type of glass used. The windows should be double paned and not tinted. Avoid carpets and rugs on the heat absorbing floor and block wall. Because there is a lot of heat loss when opening exterior doors, these doors should open from or into vestibules to reduce loss of conditioned air to the outside. Click here for sketches showing what I am talking about here.
I want to discuss wireless networking, but Dofusdaddy will start here with basic networking concepts. Office networks were originally designed in the 1970's to allow sharing of printers. If you only have one computer at home, you obviously do not have or need networking equipment. However, if you have several computers a network makes sense. In a network the computers can share one printer, and use one high speed internet connection. If you have DSL, internet access to your house starts with the phone line to your DSL modem. (If you have cable, internet access begins with the coaxial cable connection to your cable modem.) The modem is connected to a DSL or cable router. The cables from each computer connect to the router. In this way many computers can share the internet from one DSL or cable access line. With a little more configuation at each computer, you can get all your computers to share one printer. You have created a home network.
Routers.
1. The routers I talked about above cost about $80, and there are many different
brands. Dofusdaddy has a Linksys router. In addition to allowing internet sharing,
the router helps protect your computers from hackers. This is because these
routers do Network Address Translation (NAT). A hacker on the internet can only
see the IP address of the router. (An IP address is the number assigned to your
computer so that other computers can talk to it.) The hacker does not see the
IP address of the computers in your network.
2. You will also see the term DHCP used. DHCP is the process whereby the router
automatically assigns IP addresses to the computers on your network, which saves
you work.
3. The router also acts as a switch. A switch is just a small box that all the
cables from the computers plug into. (The cables that connect the computers
are called Cat 5 cables. The plugs on the ends of the cable are called RJ45
jacks.)
Dofusdaddy has never set up a wireless network, but reviewing the basic terminology will help all of us. Wireless networks are becoming common. I strongly recommend buying the book Wireless Networking Survival Guide by TechRepublic 1-800-217-4339 ($80). All of the following information came from that book.
TERMINOLOGY
WLAN - Wireless Local Area Network
WAP - Wireless Application Protocol - This has nothing to do with wireless
networking I am discussing. It has to do with handheld devices. I just want
you to see the term so you don't get confused (like I did).
WAP - Wireless Access Point. Your DSL or cable line plugs in to this
device. It is a wireless switch, that communicates with all your computers through
their wireless network cards.
Wireless NIC - A wireless network card. (There are also network cards
that connect to the USB port on your computer.)
Wireless Bridge - Enables high speed, long range links between buildings.
Protocols - A set of standards that determine the operating frequency
and throughput. Different protocols require different equipment.
Channels - Channels are allowable frequencies for different access points
for the standards 802.11b, 802.11g, or 802.11a.
Wi-Fi - All products with this label work together. It is the 802.11b
wireless standard. It is the standard most often talked about.
802.11b - The first and most commonly talked about standard for wireless
products. Also called Wi-Fi. Operates at a frequency of 2.4 GHz, which is the
same frequency as cell phones and microwave ovens. Obviously, interference is
a problem. Lowest throughput of the protocols, 5 Mbps. Range of 100 feet indoors,
and 300 feet outdoors before loss of signal strength.
802.11g - Is an extension of 802.11b. It operates at the same frequency
of 2.4 GHz. The throughput is much higher, a maximum of 54 Mbps.
802.11a - A different standard from 802.11b and 802.11g. It operates at a frequency
of 5.8 GHz. Interference is not as much of a problem. Common throughput speeds
of 33 Mbps. Much faster than 802.11b. But it has half the range of 802.11b,
so that twice as many access points are required. It also has half as many channels
as 802.11b.
WEP - Wired Equivalent Protection. The first protocol developed for security.
WEP encrypts wireless transmissions. It is not secure, and can be easily hacked.
Has static keys to encrypt data.
802.1x for authentication - A security improvement for WEP.
802.11i - An improvement on 802.1x which allows dynamic keys. Requires
a server of special equipment to work. (In other words, you and I probably won't
use it.)
WPA - Wi-Fi Protocol Access. A new secuity standard that uses 802.11i.
The encryption key is changed with each piece of data sent. The Temporary Key
Integrity Protocol (TKIP) is the heart of WPA. (Again, this require expensive
equipment, and you and I won't use it at home.)
SSID - Service Set Identifier. SSID is much like a workgroup name, and
must be the same for computers and access points in order for them to communicate.
Ad Hoc or Peer to Peer - This describes communication between
wireless network cards in computers without the use of a wireless access point.
Rarely used.
Site Survey - A site survey should be done before buying equipment to
determine if there is interference at the frequencies you will be using. (A
low tech site survey can be completed using your laptop with vendor software.)
Note: Note that for each protocol the actual throughput is usually half
of the advertised ideal throughput. For comparison of speeds, your home DSL
connection is about 300 Kbps, or .3 Mbps. Remember also that the total speed
will be divided among the computers connected to the access point.
802.11b - 11 Mbps Ideal - 5 Mbps realistic
802.11g - 54 Mbps Ideal - ? realistic
802.11a - 72 Mbps Ideal - 33 Mbps realistic
Wireless Security - Wireless communication has many security problems.
Below are a few suggestions made for minimizing the problem. Basically, sensitive
information should not be stored on a wireless network.
1. Rename the administrator password for the access point.
2. Rename the SSID from its default name.
3. Use VPN connections. VPN's can be used on both wired and wireless networks.
A virtual private network (VPN) connection is a secure connection made with
special software on your computer.
4. Use MAC address filtering. The access point will only allow communication
with MAC addresses in its filter list. (The MAC address is a uniqe number on
each computer's wireless network card.) MAC address filters are not a cure all
since they can be spoofed.
5. Use WEP with 128 encryption. If you can use the latest security standard,
WPA.
6. Change SSID weekly. Better yet write a batch file program to chang it more
often. (802.11i security standard changes the SSID every 10 minutes.)
7. Use a firewall. You should never connect to the internet though
a high speed connection (including wireless) without a firewall. You
can be hacked within minutes. This is true in your home, it is true at work,
it true in the airport, and it is true at Starbucks. I use Norton Internet Security
at home. I am not sure if this product works the same with wireless connections
as with wired ones. I assume it would, but I will check.
It is near the end of the year and Dofusdaddy is thinking ahead to tax time. Dofusdaddy suggests starting with a simple tax book like J.K. Lasser's Your Income Tax or The Arthur Young Tax Guide. Dofusdaddy also suggests two books by Nolo: Surviving an IRS Tax Audit, and Stand Up To The IRS. The National Archives and Records Adminstration web site provides a Code of Federal Regulations, which includes Internal Revenue regulations. (You can link to the Code of Federal Regulations here.)After doing basic research on your tax questions you can get the exact Internal Revenue regulations. Link directly to the Internal Revenue regulations here.
If Dofusdaddy understands the tax laws correctly, you are allowed to deduct up to $3000 in stock market losses each year. So we will run over how Dofusdaddy figured it out with two examples.
EXAMPLE 1. In the first example you bought 45 shares at $23 per
share in Oct. 1999 and sold 45 shares at $16 per share in April 2003.
Since the price of the stock went down you lost money. The calculations are
as follows:
Oct.1999 45 shares X $23 per share = $1035 bought
April 2003 45 shares X $16 per share = $720 sold
$1035 - $720 = $315 is your loss for tax purposes.
EXAMPLE 2. The second example is more realistic, and more complicated. You bought shares of stock several times over a period of years, and then sold most of it. The important thing to remember is that the date you bought or sold is not important, only the number of shares and the purchase or sale price. You must have bought and sold the same number of shares in the final calculation, but you can add purchases together so that the total number of shares bought equals the total number of shares sold. You can even use part of one purchase so the total number of shares bought and sold is even at the end. In this example we bought 17 shares at $22 per share in Nov. 1998, we bought 21 shares at $19 per share in Jan. 1999, we bought 26 shares at $24 per share in July 2000, and sold 57 shares at $13 per share in July 2003.
You can see that the total number of shares is not going to come out even.
We want the largest loss possible loss for deduction purposes, so we use all
the shares in the buys of 17 shares at $22 and 26 shares at $24
for a total of 43 shares. But we sold 57, so we need 57 minus 43, or 14 more
shares. So we use 14 shares at $19 per share.
Nov. 1998 17 shares X $22 per share = $374 bought
July 2000 26 shares X $24 per share = $ 624 bought
Jan. 1999 14 shares X $19 per share = $266 bought
July 2003 57 shares X $13 per share = $741 sold
$374 + $624 + $266 - $741 = $523 is your loss for tax purposes
Notice that we did not use all of the 21 shares bought at $19 per share in our calculations.
I saw an article on concrete wall homes which was interesting. This is an established building technique that uses hollow foam blocks to build the walls. The concrete is then poured into the center of the cores, creating a solid cement wall. Metal cleats on the foam surface are locked into the concrete and allow surfacing materials to be attached. The foam thickness on interior walls allows placement of electrical and plumbing copper tubing to be placed in the foam. It is fire proof, sound resistant, and provides good insulation. It costs about 10% more than standard wood construction. There are several major manufacturers which come up with search engines when you put in the words concrete wall homes.
Dofusdaddy now reveals his lack of knowledge of the political system in California. I knew there was another way to get measures passed outside the legislature, but I could not find information on it before. Try, try again and you will succeed. An organization called The Oaks Project in California is dedicated to teaching individuals how to place initiatives on the ballot. I ordered a recommended book called "The Initiative Cookbook". I have copy and pasted some texts I found on the internet concerning the process.
"The purpose of a general election is to make a final choice among the various candidates who have been nominated by parties or who are running as independent or write-in candidates. In addition, where nonpartisan races have not been decided in the primary, the runoffs are held at the general election. Statewide measures also can be placed on the November ballot."
"A major focus of The Oaks Project in California is the initiative process itself. The process was introduced 90 years ago as a way for citizens to initiate legislation that their legislators can't or won't. But in recent years, critics have claimed that it has been co-opted by large corporations or wealthy individuals - the only ones with enough financial backing to bankroll the expensive proposition of getting 433,000 signatures to qualify."
"Citizens' activists have been outmaneuvered and outspent by wealthy corporations for years, says Jim Shultz, executive director of The Democracy Center and author of "The Initiative Cookbook," a book on California's ballot wars. "It's part of why politics here has become so cynical.... The Oaks Project is giving us the hope that there is enough idealism left to keep the idea of participatory democracy alive." "
"Here we teach the spirit of winning, but it's not so much defeating an opponent as overcoming one's own self," Uki said. "These days it seems everyone is looking for someone to blame rather than focusing on himsilf. We're told to believe that unless you graduate from the best university and are somehow elite, you're a loser. Our message here is that if you try hard, at kendo or anything else, you will enjoy life."
If you have concerns about problems that need to be addressed in our community, contact your representative. Dofusdaddy is providing a link for San Diego County residents.
Most major companies requires physicals before you will be hired as a permanent employee. Venereal Diseases are of major concern in todays world.
New Therapeutics and Diagnostics for Sexually Transmitted Diseases is divided into categories by type of disease as follows:
Bacterial Vaginosis - bad smelling with exudate, treatable
Candidiasis - common yeast infection, treatable with over the counter products
Chancroid - cankers, treatable with antibiotics
Chlamydia - pain on urination, treatable with antibiotics
Genital Herpes - viral, not curable, treatments to limit outbreaks of cankers
- may or may not have symptoms
Genital Warts - viral, not curable, treatment to remove warts - may or may not
have symptoms
Gonorrhea - painful urination, treatable with antibiotics
Hepatitis B - hepatitis is difficult to treat
HIV/AIDS - not curable
Pediculosis Pubis - crabs, treatable with over the counter products
Syphilis - cankers, rash, treatable in early stages with antibiotics
Trichomoniasis - painful urination, treatable with anti-parasitic drug
Genital warts, Trichomoniasis, Chancroid, and Bacterial Vaginosis, and Pediculosuis Pubis require a doctor's examination and laboratory tests of fluid swabs from affected areas.
Here is a link for drug testing strips.
Here is a link for drug detoxing products.
Bridge, as all younger folks know, is very popular with older folks (of which I am one now). According to the book I am reading, it is the game most people want to know. The thing that scares learners from bridge is that it is highly structured. Often the people teaching you keep correcting you on points of procedure, and you never learn the fun of actually playing.
Bridge is played around a card table with four people. Your partner sits directly across from you. You and your partner score points together and win or lose together. The dealer deals all cards from a regular 52 card deck, starting with the dealer's left. Each player will arrange his cards by suit, from highest to lowest (for convenience). The game starts with the dealer making a bid. A bid is an estimate of the number of tricks you can take with the cards in your hand. Each player after the dealer bids in turn. If you cannot increase the bid, you pass. Eventually all players will pass. The reason for this is that if you do not win the number of tricks you bid, you lose the hand. During play each person, in turn, will put a card in the center of the table. These four cards are called a trick. The person who puts the highest card in the center wins the trick. Because you play with a partner, one partner will collect the tricks you and your partner win during the hand. The hand ends when all cards have been played.
Back to bidding. A bid is an estimate of the number of tricks you can take with the cards in your hand. For example, if you have an Ace, King, and Queen in Spades you know you have the top cards in that suit and you know you will win those three tricks. If you also have the Ace and King of Hearts, the Ace and King of Diamonds, and the Ace and King of Clubs, you know you will win 9 tricks altogether. But when you speak the words to bid, you say "I bid 3 Spades." You might think you would say, "I bid 9 Spades", but you don't, because you start counting with trick number 7. When you bid you take the total number of tricks you can get and subtract six.
Trump and Notrump are words used to describe your bid. If you
mention the word Spades, Hearts, Clubs, or Diamonds
in your bid you are declaring Trump. Trump means that suit has
priority in winning a trick. When the bidding ends, the Trump suit is decided,
and the number of tricks you must get to win is decided. When playing Trump,
the highest card in the Trump suit always wins, even if there is a higher
card from another suit is put in the center. You must always play a card from
the trump suit if you have one. (This is called following suit.)
Notrump is different. It means that the highest card of the suit led wins.
The person who wins a trick leads, or puts out the first card for the
next trick. He may lead with any suit. Each player must follow
the suit that is led.
I will give you two examples. In the first example, Spades are Trump. I choose
to lead with the Ace of Hearts. The next person has no hearts and puts
down a Two of Spades. The next person puts down a Ten of Hearts. And the final
person puts down an eight of Hearts. The second player who put down the Two
of Spades wins because Spades are Trump.
In the second example, we are playing Notrump. I choose to lead with
the Ace of Hearts. The next person has no hearts and puts down a Two of Spades.
The next person puts down a Ten of Hearts. And the final person puts down an
eight of Hearts. This is the same cards as before, but I win with the Ace of
Hearts.
To me this is the most confusing part of learning the actual play. You must
firmly establish in your mind at the beginning of the hand whether we are playing
Notrump or Trump. And if we are playing Trump, is the Trump suit Spades, Hearts,
Clubs, or Diamonds?