Be good to others.

Dealing with unfamiliar words

1) The car was hindered by the snow on the road so we couldn't get to school.

2) I was at a disadvantage in the race because I had a twisted ankle.

3) It was so serene sitting on the quiet beach, with blue waves lapping at the shore and the gentle wind blowing the palm trees. I almost fell asleep in my deck chair.

4) There was a minuscule spec of dirt on my trainers but I couldn't even see it.

5) Kevin ambled up the hill with his friends, chatting happily.

02

Dealing with Divorce

Are your parents getting divorced? You are not alone. About half of all marriages end in divorce. But dealing with divorce isn't easy. The divorce process can be painful and sad for everybody involved (parents, kids, grandparents, close friends, and more).

There are two basic reasons why most people get divorced:

They cannot get along with each other.

They don't feel connected to each other anymore.

If your parents can't get along, you may have noticed that they fight a lot. While most married couples fight occasionally, some folks get to the point where they always fight. This can be very unpleasant for everybody.

If your parents don't feel connected, you may notice that they do not spend time together unless they have to. Again, this is normal -- to a point. Every couple will have times when they feel closer to each other and times when they don't. But some couples get to the point where they have not felt connected for a long time. This can be very lonely and sad for them.

Parents do not get divorced because of their children. If your parents are divorcing, it is because of problems in their relationship -- not because of you or anything you did or said.

This is not a good idea. Trying to get your parents back together can put you in the middle of their fighting, which is not a fun place to be. Your parents' relationship is their responsibility. Try to stay out of their fighting, and let them resolve their own problems.

If you are under 18, you are considered a minor and one or both of your parents will have custody of you. "Custody" means who is legally responsible for you and whom you will live with. There are three types of custody: primary custody, joint legal custody, and joint physical custody.

Primary Custody. With primary custody, you live with one parent most of the time and visit the other parent several times a month. A typical primary custody arrangement is when you live with your mom and visit your dad every other weekend. But, this is just one type of arrangement. Some teens live with their dads and visit their moms on weekends.

In primary custody, the parent you live with makes the decisions about major things, like what schools to attend, what doctors to go to, and things like that. Your other parent may have opinions, but the primary custody parent legally has to make the decision.

Joint Legal Custody. This is just like primary custody, except that the parent you don't live with can legally make decisions about major things in your life. You would still live with one parent most of the time and visit the other parent several times each month.

Joint Physical Custody. With joint physical custody, you live with both parents, and both parents can make major decisions about things in your life. You will spend half or almost half your time at each parent's house. The exact amount of time depends on what your parents have arranged or what the divorce judge has decided.

Custody and living arrangements are determined by your parents and the divorce judge. Sometimes parents will work out custody and living arrangements before going to divorce court. Other times, parents will let the judge decide.

Usually, the person you live with will have custody of you. About 75% of the time, children live with their moms. About 10% of the time, they live with their dads. And 15% of the time, they live with both parents at different times.

Many states allow children to decide on the parent they want to live with after they reach a certain age. But every state has different laws on this matter.

Usually, a judge will make the final decision but consider what the child wants. Generally, the older you are, the more likely a judge will let you live with the parent you want.

Feeling sad, angry, depressed, or anxious because your parents are getting divorced is normal. Usually, these feelings are worst when your parents first get divorced. Over time, they should get better, but it is normal to still feel upset sometimes.

Try talking to your friends, especially if their parents are divorced, too. They may know how you are feeling.

Seeing a therapist can help as well. The therapist can help you work through your feelings and may recommend group therapy. With group therapy, you can share your feelings with other teens going through the same thing, and learn ways to cope with the problems and emotions of divorce.

03

Sony Laser Projectors Take Higher Learning to the Next Level

Sony projectors welcome students at a Massachusetts community college.

Mount Wachusett Community College, located in Gardner, MA is a cost-effective 2-year higher education institute offering more than 70 diverse degree programs. With courses dedicated to technology, among other areas, it’s no wonder why the institution selected dozens of Sony’s laser projectors on the school’s Leominster and Gardner campuses.

Arthur Collins, director of media services and chief engineer of the Media Arts and Technology (MRT) program, is an AVIXA-certified AV professional who also works in the broadcast industry. He has been with the Mount for 30 years and has helped shape its adoption and implementation of innovations. As the college’s technology expert, Collins was instrumental in specifying, designing, selecting and installing the Sony laser projectors, including the VPL-PHZ60, as well as professional BRAVIA displays in the school’s classrooms. He purchased the hardware from CCS Presentation Systems New England.

[9 Large-Venue Projectors and Key Features Experts Recommend as Live Events Return]

Collins looked for tools that would provide enhanced learning experiences through accurate colors and engaging visuals. “The first projector the college installed was a Sony,” he explained. “We selected Sony’s projectors once again because they’re offered at an appropriate price point and at 6,000 lumens, they are right in the sweet spot. And while brightness is important, ultimately, when faculty are looking at images, color is a big deal to them. They notice when the reds don’t quite look the same on their laptop. I like Sony’s projectors because their color rendition is spot on.”

Another large factor for Collins in his selection of Sony’s projectors is their reliability and the peace of mind they offer. “We can’t let the technology get in the way of the classroom, meaning it just needs to work and be easy to use and comfortable from a faculty standpoint—and these projectors are. When they turn on the projector, they have the confidence that the system will work.”

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Sony projectors welcome students at a Massachusetts community college.

As an Extron programmer, Collins also favors the projectors’ support of Extron and sets up an HDBaseT compatible Extron Scaler right into the projectors. “With this setup, we get video control, and everything works quite well," he said. "It also offers a cost savings since we don’t need an HDBaseT receiver. We just go right into the projector.”

Collins also likes the ease of installation and use, adding “As we were rebuilding our Leominster campus, we were under pressure to meet a deadline and the Sony projectors did not disappoint us. We just hung them on the ceiling, plugged them in, changed the settings and we were in business. Similarly, it’s a very simple projector in that you just hit the button and it works. In ten seconds, they’ve quietly fired up and are ready to go.”

Several of the projectors’ innovative features were also noted by Collins, including its automated filter cleaning capability. “The projectors are virtually maintenance-free,” he explained. “We haven’t changed the filters and they have a reversing mechanism that blows air backward to move the dust and filter it out.”

[Ask the Experts: 18 AV/IT Industry Thought Leaders On Displays]

And it’s not just the image quality and ease of use of Sony’s projectors that the Mount depends on. The college also employs Sony’s professional BRAVIA 55-inch and 65-inch displays, which are used for digital signage in collaborative and communal spaces. “The Pro BRAVIA displays are priced correctly, with a helpful commercial warranty. They look good and they’re reliable,"Collins said. "They are easy to use—we just take our player, plug it in and let that go. The bezel is nice, and we haven’t had a failure, yet.”

As a result of Mount Wachusett’s experience with Sony’s display technologies, Collins once again chose the manufacturer as he recently built out the school’s projection in larger spaces, installing Sony’s 13,000 lumen model.