Those of you out there who have relatives in asian nations that are planning on visiting Guam may experience some difficulties. Here’s the skinny.
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Federal Deadline Extension Could Affect Guam

Federal Deadline Extension Could Affect Guam

Written by Stefan Sebastian

Wednesday, 01 April 2009 18:00
Guam

Guam– Businesses in the CNMI can now expect to see a one-hundred eighty day delay in the pending federal takeover of their immigration system. But the delay will also have an impact here on Guam.

Tourism officials here have long lobbied for the delay. They say the Joint CNMI and Guam visa waiver program planned as part of the takeover could limit travel to Guam from key Asian markets unless federal authorities grant the islands some regulatory relief. But apart from a delay in the start of the waiver program, a labor official told us today the extra time will also likely affect local contractors who employ foreign workers through H-2 visas.

And final visa rules from the Department of Homeland Security are due to be finalized in the coming months.
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Ross J. Roeser, PhD
Callier Center for Communication Disorders, University of Texas at Dallas

About one-third of Americans over age 60, and half of those over age 85, have some degree of hearing loss. But hearing loss occurs so gradually that it takes about seven years before people realize that they’re having problems.

Only about 16% of family doctors routinely test hearing. Insist on it! Have your hearing checked periodically — and consider getting a hearing aid if you aren’t hearing as well as you should.
Good news: Today’s hearing aids bear little resemblance to the bulky, unsightly devices of 20 years ago. Miniaturization has made them much less conspicuous — some are almost invisible. Advances in technology allow users to adjust their hearing aids for different types of hearing loss, different sound environments and personal preferences.
NEWEST DEVELOPMENTS
The degree and type of hearing loss dictate which hearing aid will help you the most. Nearly all users can benefit from recent technological advances. These include…
Open-fit devices. These fit outside the ear and are among the most popular hearing aids. They don’t require an impression to be taken of the ear canal as with devices that fit inside the ear. Patients can be fitted with the device and take it home the same day.
Open-fit hearing aids have a small component that rests over the ear. This holds a microprocessor with a very fine wire attached to it that feeds into the ear canal where the small speaker is placed. The sound quality rivals that of much larger aids while the device is less visible. These hearing aids also avoid the amplification of your own voice that occurs when your ears are plugged, such as when you wear a hearing aid that blocks the whole ear canal.
Extra advantage: Open-fit hearing aids primarily amplify high frequencies. This means that patients with high-frequency hearing loss — the most common type — get help only in the sound range that they need. They aren’t subjected to unnecessary amplification of lower sound frequencies as with other types of aids.
Live speech mapping. This new technique ensures that hearing aids deliver the correct volume/sound characteristics for individual patients. A small microphone, connected to a computer, is threaded into the ear canal. The microphone is also able to pick up when sound is being heard by measuring vibrations in the ear canal. When the practitioner speaks into the microphone, the resulting data picked up from the ear canal is fed into the computer, producing an image on the screen. This gives a “map” of such things as high or low frequencies, music and background noise — and allows the audiologist to make precise adjustments in volume, sound frequency, etc.
Data logging. A tiny computer with a receiver in the hearing aid tracks the types of sound environments (concerts, noisy rooms, etc.) that the patient has been exposed to over a period of weeks or months. An audiologist uses these acoustic logs to determine what kinds of sounds a patient is most exposed to and adjusts the hearing aid settings accordingly.
Artificial intelligence. Some hearing aids contain microprocessors that analyze the data logs and automatically adjust the hearing aid’s performance parameters to match the patient’s needs.
TYPES OF HEARING AIDS
Nearly all hearing aids can be programmed to match a patient’s hearing profile — amplifying some frequencies and not others, for example. Digital hearing aids incorporate the latest technology and are often superior to other types. Analog hearing aids are much less expensive and are adequate for some patients. There’s also an in-between, hybrid type. Pros and cons…
Analog aids have the fewest features. The main adjustment is simply to make things louder or softer. The sound quality isn’t great, but some patients — particularly those who have used them for years — may prefer them.
Digitally programmed analog. These use the same analog amplifiers as older models, but include a tiny computer to fine-tune the sound. They’re more versatile than analog aids, and less expensive than digital. Digital hearing aids process sounds through a tiny computer. Programmed to compensate for the specific type of hearing loss, they also have preset programs for phone use, conversation, music, etc., that allow you to switch back and forth as needed.
Example: At a loud party, you can push a button that chooses a program that filters out background sounds. Another program might reduce crinkling sounds when reading the paper.
DIFFERENT STYLES
In-the-canal hearing aids. Some hearing aids are nearly invisible because they fit entirely in the ear canal. These models are a good choice for people with mild hearing loss who dislike the appearance of larger models.
Drawbacks: They’re expensive… aren’t powerful enough for severe hearing loss… have tiny batteries that last less than a week… the small controls are difficult for some users to manage.
Behind-the-ear models (including open-fit devices) have a component that fits behind the ear (like an eyeglass earpiece) and a mold that fits in the ear canal. Bulky compared with other models, they’ve become smaller and less visible in recent years. They can correct moderate to severe hearing loss, and the controls are large enough to manipulate easily.
In-the-ear models do not fit as deeply inside the ear as in-the-canal hearing aids. But they’re barely visible and may include such features as a telephone coil (to eliminate feedback when using a telephone headset), that don’t fit on smaller models. They are good for those with mild to moderately severe hearing loss.
Body-worn hearing aids contain all of the electronics in a pager-sized box that’s worn on the belt or carried in a pocket. A wire runs from the box to the ear canal. They’re mainly used by people with severe hearing loss.
Many patients are tempted to get a hearing aid that incorporates all of the latest technology even if they don’t really need it. Extra features add greatly to the cost. It doesn’t make sense to get a feature-laden hearing aid if you aren’t likely to spend the time needed to learn how to use it, or if you spend most of your time in the same kind of sound environment.
IMPLANTABLE HEARING AIDS
The aids described above might not work for patients with certain medical ear conditions or severe/profound hearing loss. An option might be to get an implantable hearing aid, such as a…
Bone-anchored conduction hearing aid. A small titanium screw is attached to the bones of the middle ear during an outpatient procedure. Sound causes the screw to vibrate. These vibrations are transmitted by electrical devices directly to the inner ear.
Cochlear implant. An electrical receiver is surgically implanted under the skin behind the patient’s ear. An electrode from the receiver goes into the cochlea, a snail-like structure in the inner ear. The signals from the electrode are picked up by the auditory nerve and travel to the brain.
Implantable hearing aids may produce clear sound, but they’re generally used only in patients who can’t use conventional hearing aids.

Retirement interviewed Ross J. Roeser, PhD, professor of audiology and executive director of the Callier Center for Communication Disorders at the University of Texas, Dallas. .

wow, when I read about these actions men take against women it breaks my heart that somewhere in the world a sister is living under these horrendous conditions. ‘Freedoms’ I don’t even consider ‘freedoms’ are further taken away. It’s insane. These men are clearly mysogynists looking for a convenient hole to put their teeny weenies in without back talk, makes me ill, I say: send madaline in and take em’ out, ONLY the bad men though, I say that before the rest of you good and real men get all offended : )

It doesn’t shock me but it’s all good, women are still buying up fashion and I must admit, I haven’t even been giving it the full court press, will do that next season : ) I’m having fun and the cash isn’t bad, love working with an all female company also, we deal the easy way, no toe stepping, polite interaction and problem resolution, etc…

I/we (tell you who on private call) also have a ‘female’ i.e. minority owned biz proposal working as I write…working on snagging some of those govt $’s and putting them to an altruistic end and make some cash while doing it. Minority (and less than) my ass, but if they insist, I will show them the folly of their thinking ; ) wish me luck!

Caio for now, Zen Lill