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Q: Does anybody know any good programs that I could buy for blocking pop-ups? Does anyone have any that have actually worked and aren't too complicated to use? Thanks.

If you use a real web browser, like mozilla, instead of explorer, you'll never know that pop-ups exist. Mozilla is free, fast, and has a lot more features that IE.

Q: I'll admit, I am only 14, but I love the military. I have wanted to be a fighter pilot dating back to when I was five. My father recently retired from the Navy, and I want to join USAF, but I can't. I have diabetes. I find is very discouraging and discriminating that diabetics can not join. If one wants to join, I think the oppurtunity should be there. Right now, I am in Junior Air Force ROTC and my high school. I love the class, and I we (the "flight") were informed that if we joined the service, we would automatically be started at a higher rank than the others. But I do not have the choice to join, and I am considering to write to George Bush explaning how I feel. Should I?

It's always good to write letters to the president (and your representatives, too!) but keep in mind that there are still a lot of civilian jobs in the military that will be open to you, so chances are you'll be able to participate somehow. Also keep in mind that the process involved in becoming an air force pilot is a very, very selective one. You're not alone in dreaming about it, and you definitely aren't alone when it comes to being left out. Thousands of men and women who don't have diabetes fall short every year because of physical issues (eyesight or hearing requirements rank up there on the disqualification scales) or failure to pass tests. The US air force and navy want the best pilots in the world, and that's what they get.

Q: Does anyone know any good books for teenage girls about
a.) real drama
b.) pressures
c.) relashionships ( i dont mind if their homosexual relashionships either)
d.) abuse/rape

When you put a title, could you put the letter (A through D) that it applies to?

easy 5's people!

Definitely read Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson... not just because it deals with a lot of the things you're asking about (pressure, rape, relationships) but because everyone should just read it.

Q: ok so i have a yamaha acoustic guitar and i really want to put my tray on it but there is no like, idont know what they are called...strap holders? (the little things that you put the hole on that start around to keep it on) so what im wondering is-is there any way to put them on/have them put on and how much will it cost?

thanks ahead of it all♥

do not have and end pin put in the end of your guitar, there's a special type of strap that wraps around the back of it and hooks into the sound hole in the front. most music stores carry them. you probably have a classical, nylon string guitar, and they're not supposed to have end pins.

Q: I just got my work schedule for a new job. The store is having it's grand opening on Thursday. I have my first shift from 5-10. I'm sure the store will be jammed pack. I'm working in the clothing department of the superstore.

Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with the customers? I've never worked in retail before. I know the obvious, like be friendly and work hard, but what can I do to really impress my supervisor and make me relax a little?

You'll probably be nervous no matter what you do... if you really start feeling yourself freeze up, straighten! Stores have to be neat and organized with everything folded and stacked all the time.

if you're not too nervous, do the best you can to help customers. Greet everyone you see, and ask what you can help them find today (not just, "can I help you?" that gives them the opportunity to say "no".)

The most important thing is that you're always working, not leaning on a counter or talking to your friends. I've worked several retail jobs and trust me, they're hard to screw up.

Q: I'm 13/f and don't have any ideas for a Halloween costume. I want a HOMEMADE costume. I wanna be something cute and maybe get my crushes attention but still be let out of the house wearing it. I dont wanna cut holes in pants and ruin clothes or anything but I'm open for ideas. THANKS SO MUCH in advance!

be a car wash! just safety pin towels around yourself, and pin the tops of socks to the towels so when you spin around they fly out straight, it's awesome!

Q: Look,I asked a question on this website before reading that you have to be 13 to be a user on this website.I'm only 12 and,as I said,I didn't know about the policy.I'm not registered on the web site,so can I still be banned?

It's not my site anymore, but you can be banned for just about anything. Kinda hard to ban you if you're not even registered though.

Q: do virgins wear thongs

Well, I'm not a virgin, and I don't wear thongs. Therefore, I think that virgins must be the only people who wear thongs. The answer is Yes.

Q: I'm a sixteen year old girl.

Ok. Well last summer I went on this camping trip with this Chrisitan club I go to. I decided to sit next to a friend who I had met about 7 days before we got on the charter bus to head to Colorado. Well I got on the bus and ten minutes later my supposed friend was hitting on me and trying to kiss me and such. I kept telling him no but it didn't seem to get into his head. He would try to rub my stomach, rub my legs, massage my back, and more. I was so scared. I tried to yell for the adult supervisors on the bus but he would always pull me to him and try to kiss me when I did that. I was terrified. I had been sexually harrassed twice before in my life so I knew what might happen if I didn't get him to stop. Well we got off for a break and I switched seats with someone and sat next to my friend Jessica but he convinced her to move and so he was next to me again. Well when we got there he started leaving me alone and everything was fine but then these three others guy started coming on to me too and I was scared again. I didn't know what to do. I told all the leaders I knew would listen and they said they would try to keep them away from me but they were never around when the boys were. Well I'm of course back from camp now and I haven't seen those three guys but my supposed friend won't leave me alone. I'm afraid of telling my parents because my dad will blow up and try to fatally injure him. I just don't know what to do. What can I do?

That's a SERIOUS problem... and what's worse is that you told the leaders and they didn't confront him about it! Something is wrong with that camp if they'd allow that sort of thing to go along.

Write everything down... the dates, the times, the stories, so you'll have it on record. Write down who you've told and what their responses were. Don't be alone with this guy and let all your friends know that you can't be alone with him, and they shouldn't be alone with him, either. He has a problem learning the word "No". If your club has any leaders, they should know too. I understand not wanting to tell your parents, because parents can be somewhat irrational, but it might come to that if the adults around you can't figure out how to manage it. Some way or another this guy needs to learn that his behavior is unacceptable, and if he won't take the hint from you it's your responsibility to get an adult to talk to him. Keep going up the ranks until you find one.

Any guy who'd kiss you when you're obviously trying to get away has major issues, and you can't deal with it by telling him nicely or calmly. Some things are too disgusting to be calm about.

Q: At what age should you start giving yourself breast exams? Is there a certain age where you are able to get breast cancer? And is it normal for fluid to come out of a microscopic hole in your areole?

You should start young, by 16 at the oldest. Your risk for breast cancer is very low but it's a good time to get used to the way your healthy tissue feels... everyone's is a little bit different. As for the fluid, it depends on a million things... how much, what type, how often, what causes it, etc. If your school has a health center you might check with them, because discharge can be normal or abnormal, just like everything medical.

Q: my dog was 10 yrs old n he died yesterday n i cant stop crying wut do i do to get over this? he ment so much to me! we were bffs

Awe, sorry to hear that. I know how you feel... when my parakeet died, I totally broke down. I mean, I don't even do that for HUMANS at funerals, but for some reason that little pet just invaded my heart for 12 years and I couldn't function when I lost her. Time and grieving is the only thing you can do, there's nothing magic you can do to feel better right now. Get out a pen and paper and write down everything good about your dog, that way you'll have a record of all the ways you were blessed by having him around all this time, that's what really helped me.

Q: Hello. I was wondering what it means when a sports team has "District 3-2A Rivals", and what the difference is between that and "2-3A". I was also wondering what 2A, or 2B, and 2C means. (I'm not sure if that's possible, but I saw something that looked similar to that in the newspaper.) I'm sorry if I'm confusing, but I just basically have no idea what the difference in the number and letter is.

Thanks.

This is going to vary according to your state... you can probably find a website for your state's high school atheletic association and get a breakdown. Most states divide up schools by population, so a school with 100 kids to chose from for their football team doesn't have to go up against a school with 10,000 kids to chose from. Where I live, 6A are the largest schools, and 1A/1B are the smallest, with the 'A' and 'B' being arbitrary designations to divide up the locations.

Q: whenever i get out of showers and baths (i take hot showers and baths not cold, more towards the warmer side) i always feel out of breath. i mean, i got out of my shower, grabbed my towels and walked to the computer about 3 minutes ago and i'm still breathing fast. am i getting over heated? i don't use hot-tub hot water, and at the end of my showers i put it on cold water for 30 seconds or so to cool off. same w/baths i'll run cold water.

You might be a little over temp but you're fine. If you start blacking out, turn the temperature down.

Q: At restaurants - what is the accepted etiquette/percentage for tipping someone who you have an outside friendship with?

This might sound kinda mean, but I think you should use about the same tipping guidelines for friends that you do for everyone else, you know? I mean, if you go nuts and dump tons of cash on the table they might think you feel sorry for them or think they're poor. I always figure up 25% and then round down to the nearest dollar, whether it's a friend or not.

Q: I need advice on how to be platonic friends with a man. I'm not good at it, at all. I have met this man who I have pretty much fallen very hard for, but for various serious reasons on both sides, nothing can come of it. I think there is attraction on his side as well, but we have discussed it and we know it can only be a good friendship. I need to know, what are the best ways to gear my feelings down, and how do I keep a close friendship with this man without smothering the relationship or allowing the disallowed feelings to show? I'm a 37-year-old female.

Eliza

I think that once you're interested in someone, it's pretty much impossible to undo it... keeping busy and staying away for a long time sometimes works, but not always. You can also try my favorite method, which is nit-picking at every stupid thing about him until you convince yourself you don't want him at all. I mean really, everybody's got their issues, right? Is he a bad cook? Sleep in too much? Have unusually wide thumbnails? Sometimes if I find enough little things that are bad about a person I can convince myself it'd never work out.

Q: OK well i am making a pet site and i was wondering if anyone know where i can get free graphic artists to make items and pets and other things and free php programs..also a free co.owner.. If you know anyone anywhere please tell me. thank you.

It's going to be pretty impossible to get people to help you if you can't come up with anything except the concept of the site. My advice is to do the graphics yourself... there's lots of free software like the GIMP that's good for that. If you don't want to do that, learn php. I learned php from books off the border's discount table, it's a really loose language that's good for beginners.

Q: Does anyone know of a good but slightly unknown (meaning other than Alternative Press or Rolling Stone or Fader or Lollipop or MoJo) magazine having to do with music that I could order online?

I really like Paste these days. Not only do they have lots of cool music articles and interviews, but they come with CD and DVD mixes so you can get your groove on while reading. rock!

Q: Hi my name is jess my sister was going out with this kid named rob and they just broke. Well until after they broke she found out he was one of those stalker people. Today he broke into my house and my sister and i locked ourselves in my moms room and he kept banging on the door so my sis called the police. Well they came and caught hijm and we didnt press charges but they said if he steps one foot on this property again he will be arrested. i was crying when this happened cause i was afraid he had a weapon. Im really afarid he will do this agin. How can i get over this really scary moment im scared ut of my pants right now?
plz hurry love jess

There's no garantee that they'll arrest him unless you get a restraining order, and get one fast! This guy is seriously crazy and even though it sucks to be scared, it's the right feeling to have right now. Why didn't you press charges?

Talk to the police about a restraining order quickly, that's my advice.

Q: i like these two guys they r awesome but now i have to choose and i dont kno what to do. one lives in the same city i do and the other one lives 1 hour away. they are both super sweet to me and i can talk to both of them about anything. i dont kno what to do im so confused. please help me with my love triangle oh yes and they both like me wich makes it even harder because no matter what im going to break someones heart and im not good with that. please help me.

They live in different cities and you feel like you have to chose? I say make them share! As long as neither relationship gets too serious, what's the big deal? Just spend one day with each of them and alternate. It might sound cruel but you're all just friends, right?

Q: im 17/f and i have a little acne on my face. the only place i get them is on my forehead and especailly my chin. i was wondering if anyone knew of any good acne products that arent real expensive? what the product is called, how much it costs, how good it works, and where i can find it? thanks so much!

I've found that random combinations of products work best, which I know sounds crazy, but it's true.

Get something with benzoyl peroxide in it (available everywhere, for $4 a tube or so) for your problem areas, and after that just be sure to wash your face at least twice a day. I use clarifying soap (like neutrogena), antibacterial soap (like dial), moisturizing soap (like dove), whatever I feel like. Then I use a toner with salicylic acid.

You might also try the more natural route, if you live near a health food or organic store. Witch hazel does wonders for acne and it won't dry your face out too bad.

Just don't order some random product off TV, because all of those stop working after a short period of time, and they're horribly expensive.

bio

I've been in the advice column over five years now so I think I've pretty much heard it all... the love, the hate, the random insanity. I don't take it too seriously, so I'm not always giving the best advice, but my column is fun to read!

I am a 23 year old electrical engineer, a feminist, a Christian. I don't know everything but I can sure pretend to.

Disclaimer: Now that I'm on advicenators I'm getting even more questions every day. It's fast and easy for me to answer them, yes, so at least I'm answering something now, but if your question contains the words "there's this guy that I like..." chances are I won't get around to it. I'm only answering interesting questions that I haven't answered before. Register at the site and ask everyone for advice if you must have an answer, because if people read my column and boring love advice was all they found, they'd never come back.