My brother has ADHD. Because of this he sometimes needs a little bit of extra help in college. Help in the way of being given extra time to complete assignments. Unfortunately, the college he is now going to won’t let him have extra time to complete assignments. Because of this he has run into a snag that is preventing him from graduating with his bachelor’s degree. He needs to get a “C” in a particular class. His professor was a hard-nose who would not give him any time extensions on his assignments, and he needed an extension. Because he could not get the extension, he received a “D” in the class, so he can’t graduate unless he takes the entire class over again, which would cost him an extra $1,000.00.

He really needs this degree to get the job that he wants. He has tried everything possible to get the grade changed to an “Incomplete” and get the assignment turned in, but the college won’t allow it. He has gone all the way to the top administrator, and even though they admit that they “could” change the “D” to an “I” and then let him turn in the assignment and get that “C” that they simply don’t want to do it. During the last meeting they went so far as to encourage him to stop pursuing his degree, claiming that he doesn’t need that degree to get the job that he wants. I find this to be an outrageous claim because he tried to get “that job” and was told repeatedly during his job seeking interview that he DOES need that degree. When he signed up for the courses at the college, they also told him that he “needs” this degree. And now that he is only ONE assignment away from getting that hard earned degree, they are refusing to let him turn in the assignment and telling him (after thousands of dollars spent and many hours spent pursuing the degree that he has been repeatedly told he needs and telling him he doesn’t really “need” that degree and he should just go get a job!

What a tremendous disappointment, and what a huge ripoff! And yes, he will end up taking that course over again, but NOT with that same professor. It would be a huge disservice to himself and our parents to stop one class short of his hard earned degree. From this point on, however, if and when anyone asks me about my opinion of that college, they will get an earful!

There has always been controversy surrounding whether being straight or gay is a “choice” or biological. I was interested this past week to be reading several articles regarding recent scientific evidence that supports that sexual orientation is a biological event. One such article was in Time.com, which talks about what the gay brain looks like. Another, similar article was in the US News and World Report.

My personal feelings have always been that it is nature, not nurture that determines sexual orientation. I wish that people would just “get over it” and treat gay people with the same respect that they treat straight people. I know that some of the larger objections have simply been that they take offense at those who go above board with public displays of affection, but to be fair, that offense is committed by a lot of straight people, too. I can hardly walk down the aisles of the local Wal-Mart without finding myself walking behind a straight couple where the man reaches behind the woman and pinches her butt. I find that very offensive!

Don’t you just hate it when you give out your email address to someone, hoping that they will use it with some commonsense and only contact you when they really NEED to communicate with you and then all you ever get from them is those stupid “chain” letter emails? I find that to be a constant problem and I really hate having to send those people polite replies asking them to NOT do that! I like to think I am a nice person; I KNOW I’m a busy person, and I HATE getting those kinds of emails “forward this to 8 of your closest friends within five minutes or something bad will happen to you.” I DON’T forward it; I reply back to it and then delete it. I don’t know anyone who likes getting those kinds of emails, and it surprises me how many people are so superstitious that they are afraid to “break the chain” by deleting the email.

I was reading on the Forbes.com news website that the “hottest” job trends are in the “green” market.  The article indicates that Washington DC, Boston MA, Houston TX, San Fransisco, San Diego and Las Angelas are all going to be huge markets for “green” industries.

I sure hope that’s true.  We could use some job growth around here!  Lately it seems to have been all “doom and gloom” news about the economy and people losing jobs.  We sure need more jobs, and better jobs right here in the area!

The weather the past few weeks has been going crazy.  One day it is below normal temperatures, the next it is above normal temperatures.  And I don’t mean by just a few degrees, I’m talking at least ten degrees above or below.  It makes it hard to dress appropriately to make sure that you don’t accidentally lower your resistance to all of the cold viruses that are lurking out there!