2008-2023 Form

When I was twelve, my dad died. I have five siblings and we ranged at the time from seven years old to eighteen. The eldest was leaving for college that week, but came back and spent the year at home at my mom's request.Before Dad had been dead a whole month, my mom started sort-of dating a sort-of homeless guy (he had been homeless and then was living in an RV on someone's property as their caretaker) my family had helped before (we volunteered for years prior to this at the local homeless shelter).A month. Our father had died of unexpected of complications from heart attacks just a month prior. We four youngest didn't know what was going on at first and she didn't let our older two siblings know. All we knew was that almost every night mom would have us get in the van, and she'd be in her pajamas and robe, and we'd drive down to his place and she'd send us to go play in the yard while she "said goodnight" and "ministered" to him.Eventually she'd come out with a shit-eating smirk, load us up in the van and drive back home.Less than two months after that she moved him into the house and started claiming they were married to everyone. (They weren't.)Why this was so incredibly selfish was because we weren't allowed to grieve anymore after that. We all had to be happy because mom had a new boyfriend-then-husband, and we all felt like we couldn't even talk about Dad anymore. Mom still talked about him but only to force our good behavior, ie: "You are all such terrible children! Your father wanted you to be raised this way and I've sacrificed so much for you...!" He wasn't even a good stepdad. He could have been worse, sure, but he'd fight with mom then storm out of the house and she'd blame it on us.Less than six months after my dad died he and my mom went on a drive and left me to change a curtain rod. I was still twelve and very small for my age, and I couldn't signNow the curtain rod. I tried, hard, but I kept falling off the back of the couch. They got back and saw that I hadn't done it, so the step-dad kept saying to me "Hah, I knew you were useless." while laughing and repeating it over and over like it was hilarious. I lost my temper and said "You're just a fat old man!" (he was 13 years older than my mom so he seemed quite elderly to me.) He, in front of my mother who had been laughing at his denigration of my handyman attempts, grabbed me, shook me hard, and screamed in my face "You stupid little b***ch!" and stormed out of the house.Mom then spanked me for trying to ruin her marriage.I just wanted my dad back, but I couldn't even say that because what if it made the step-dad feel bad?

Because the United States military prides itself as the most highly trained and professional military force in the world. We are not thieves, or mercenaries, or rapists etc. The things that occurred in past times are what they are, but the stuff GI's from all allied nations raided, stole, sent home etc. was not anything of military nature or related. They stole all the silver, china, jewelry anything from just regular civilians. You don't win hearts and minds and appear to be a peaceful liberation force if our infantry is tossing every house and taking everything of value. lolIn present day every single box, case, container, bag, you name it. Is laid out and searched one by one by customs agents (usually coast guard) in country.. then they watch you load it all and they seal the container. THEN it gets shipped back to the states.. yes you can slip something small by them but I'm talking something that can fit in your pocket. There have been TONS of soldiers busted building false walls in shipping containers and trying to send back AK's, RPK's, RPG's, AT4's, grenades, you name it. I'm sure some have successfully done it but it's hard, most get caught, and it's not worth being in federal "man sex daily" prison. The invasion of Iraq in 2003 was when we had the best opportunity cause every process for returning home was new and we all had the most equip to bring back. I got Iraqi helmets, bayonets, uniforms, but that was it. BUT every unit was able to bring home some Iraqi heavy weaponry to put outside of our headquarters, we got a couple big ass AA guns. We tried to bring back this Honda motorcycle that the feyadeen has mounted a recoiless rifle to, but the commanders wouldn't sign off. LolTrust me many many soldiers brought back stuff. Just not big, expensive, valuable things or anywhere near the scale of past wars. And no weapons what so ever. Anyone that has been in the post 9/11 military and tells you they got to bring their M4 (or ANY weapon for that matter) home with them is a complete 100% full of shit liar that never served. We wish we could bring guns back like WW2 vets did. That would be amazing.

Worked as a quant at a big investment bank.  Now I have my own company.  You have to take everything that I say with knowledge that I'm talking about the past, and the anything about what life was like in 2007 or even 2010 may be irrelevant for 2014.Workload is surprisingly not too bad.  Most quants work 60 hour weeks which is standard in the high tech industry.  No one I know works killer hours like the people in mergers and accquistions, and there is no point in working when the markets are closed.  When you leave for home, there are always a lot of food delivery people in the lobby.The compensation has gone down over the last few years as bonus has been replaced by base salary, but it's slightly higher than in the other tech industries.  You however will feel more poor than you have ever felt.  When you are in a room full of people who make >$1M/year, and you make $150K, you feel really, really, really poor.  Their kids go to better schools, they have nicer houses, bigger cars, they get into conversations about where to take vacations, and you feel like you are living in a cardboard box.  You are either in a cube farm or in a front offices position.  If you are in front office, you are at a long table, and you see traders screaming at each other.  Most of it is "friendly screaming" (i.e. buy X at Y!!!! The price is going down!!!!)  Some of it is "unfriendly screaming" over the phone.The soft skills aren't the economics and finance.  You can learn that.  The important soft skills are the interpersonal relational ones.  How to resolve conflict or not resolve conflict, how to get people to like you, how to get people to know what you are doing.  Also the cool things is that the rules change.  It's useless to read most economics and finance textbooks because the information and models there are just plain wrong, and your job is to come up with the right ones.Any example of a soft skill is when you look at something and think, "this is nonsense".  Rather than say "this is total nonsense" you spend an hour drafting a three sentence e-mail using the correct corporate language for "raising a concern" and then you spend the next hour editing the CC line.  One reason that I liked the job was that I considered this an intellectual puzzle, and it amused me how traders would use the most rude and blunt language while a lot of the e-mails are in extremely elegant bureaucratic nonsense, and you know your e-mail is going to be ignored so you are just setting up a paper trail so that you don't get blamed when something blows up (or so that you do accept liability for something blowing up).One reason that finance needs so many physics Ph.D.'s is that in physics, once you figure out the rules, they don't change.  Once Einstein figures out general relativity, no need for a new Einstein.  The cool thing about finances is that everything changes.  The interest rate models that were used before 2008, for example, just *will not work*.  So your job is to come up with new ones.  And once you come up with new things, the rules change again.  Once the Fed stops QE, there will be very, very curious things happening with interest rates.  I don't know what they are, but we'll figure them out.Also, you occasionally get to "geek out" on some curious bit of trivia that is not so trivial.  You get really familiar with things like Brazilian calendars, Japanese corporate finance, and when traders in Hong Kong eat lunch.You also see a fascinating world of wealth and power.  You are not part of that world.  Your boss who makes >$1 million/year is a butler for the people that really run the planet.  You are an assistant butler.  One of the more interesting experiences is to watch your boss talk to *his boss* and *his boss* talk to clients.  As with wealth, if you want to feel powerful, don't work for an investment bank.  Where I used to work, promotion to VP was automatically after three years.  Above that is a *lot* of political maneuvering.  Most people figure out that they signNowed the glass ceiling and leave.  The problem is traditional investment banking is not growing, and the regulators won't let the banks do anything new or original, so the politics is a bit nastier than in the early-2000's when the field was growing.  One reason that I got out was that the work starting being filling out forms for the government which wasn't that terribly interesting.The one thing that I think was good was that I got in at just the right time.  I got in at 2007, and when the world exploded in 2008, I had a front row seat, and I played a small part in helping to save the world.  As the world was falling apart, the computer models at the bank I was working at were constantly failing because they were getting stressed, and I helped make sure that the compiles were working.

On live parliament TV (active at the time of writing) MPs repeatedly refer to that situation with the terms you have given.A first thing to keep in mind is this Withdrawal Agreement is just that. It is after its ratification that the future agreements can be undertaken, because the EU has refused to give the UK a priority status otherwise. First an exit, then a trade deal as a third country, essentially.In this case, overnight, and worryingly soon, the UK exits the EU with no replacement deals abroad (yes, I know there are a handful, but none of great significance). Essentially, while the EU has said it would continue as is for a period (for its own benefit, allowing them to adapt), this would leave the UK with no provisions for advantageous trade, which in turn can affect prices and potentially employment.The catastrophe we talk of, therefore:is the potential that British exports become unattractive in markets we export to, therefore firms might consider layoffs as sales declinethat foreign companies will no longer consider the UK as a hub for their activities for a time, because they won't have access to other markets they want, also harming employmentNot having the two years transition period, allowing the UK to ratify deals with further afield, as well as a future trade agreement with the EULeaving the island of Ireland and Northern Ireland in a highly confusing and unsettling set of circumstancesLeaving the UK to fall back on “WTO rules” with everyone else. Now, Jacob Rees-Mogg might use that term optimistically, but note that no one else operates this way, because it's crap (that may as well be the technical term). WTO terms are primitive, and again, leave the EU forced to impose the same tariffs on the UK as any other country, until a future deal is negotiatedNow, it's all very well slashing tariffs on imports, as the government has said it will do in the case of a no-deal Brexit, but it doesn't actually protect domestic produce, and it certainly doesn't guarantee that other countries won't impose tariffs on ours (and then we go back to the business uncertainty).To arrive at this point essentially overnight, rather than a 2 year transition granted by the WA, is obviously much more volatile and uncertain for all involved.Even if it is ratified, we still have another 2 years of negotiations with the EU to come.Enjoy.

Over the decades, university faculty have increasingly been pushed to produce refereed publications, enable technology spin-offs, and obtain signNow external funding. These have been trends since at least the 1990s. This trend reflects the reduction in public support for higher education, and has many unfortunate side-effects on both research and teaching.We have had an increase in use of computing technology in teaching, including online syllabi, presentations, distance ed, online textbooks, etc. That was all very new and minor in 1998, but was becoming more common by 2008. In many ways, this makes teaching more effective.In the 1990s, I remember students majoring in computing who were able to discuss literature, politics, history and other sciences on a regular basis. This is now much less common — almost rare. Students know about pop culture, but don’t seem to know — or care — about other topics. This is one trend I think is unfortunate.I have seen a declining level of respect for professors by portions of the public. Scholarship and the choice to work in academia are no longer respected as they used to be.

Today I spoke to an IAS aspirant who is 25 years old whose family members are government employees so the conversation goes like this…Me: When is voting in your place?He : No ideaMe:Will you not vote?He: No most probably I will never vote entire my life..Me: How about your parents and sister?He: Dad might vote the rest will notThis shocked me as an Indian, these people need all the facilities from government and secured job as well, but don't want to cast vote because they are not interested in politics . I tried to make him realise the importance of voting but everything in vain.Nowadays it has become a trend don't vote but blame government for everything.Guys please cast your vote it's very important every vote matters.Jai HindEdit 1: I see few people commenting why should they vote when there is no deserving candidate?Why should government provide you jobs ? Even if they provide are you deserving? What is your contribution towards your country ? Did you do your duty being a citizen of this country?First do your duty later blame them . Why to spoil a vacation ? This question shows how irresponsible you are . If you feel that candidates are not deserving , you can go for NOTA . Tell them that they are not deserving.This answer is not make fun of someone it's just to create awareness so that people go and vote . It's we who are so called "educated" don't vote and expect the government to function without flaw and provide us all the facility.Please voteThanks

As someone who's losing her sight to retinitis pigmentosa (RP), I face this question every day. I, however, have Usher Syndrome, which couples deafness and gradual vision loss, so I'm not representative of the average blind/low vision individual.That being said, as someone who has moved from sighted into legal blindness, I've noticed certain interesting changes in my lfestyle and how people treat me. This isn't a subject that can be explained briefly, so please forgive me in advance for my lengthiness.  What the blind see.People seem to think blindness as binary: you're either completely sighted or completely blind. The truth is that there are infinite ways to be legally blind.[1] Not just is there a large range of sightedness between fully sighted and completely blind, but there are a lot of variations within that range. Some blind people have acuity issues; others have blind spots but  otherwise clear vision. Many are somewhere in between. Few are completely blind. So, what I see is unique to me and my condition. No other blind person will see as I do. My condition (RP) causes night blindness, gradual peripheral vision loss, and in its advanced stages, macular issues. Even though it's a progressive condition, it progresses differently for everyone. My lower and upper fields of vision have been gone since my early to mid-teens. I have blind spots in the sides of my vision, but I can detect light and movement in my far peripheries. The funny thing is that I don't actually see the blind spots. My brain has reconfigured my visual perception to skip over the blind spots, so things actually seem as if I have 180 degree vision. Based on my last field test, I have somewhere between twenty-five and thirty-five degrees of vision, so my brain is constantly tricking me. Two years ago, my RP began affecting my macula (the central part of the eye), which is a somewhat unusual development this early. The macula affects color discrimination and visual acuity. As of right now, I have about 20/150 in the left eye, and 20/300 in the right, both uncorrectable by glasses.Everything seems out of focus. If a person is standing more than two feet away from me, their faces is a blur as in a Monet painting. Typically, I identify a familiar person by their silhouette and the way they walk (since I can't recognize voices with much precision). Even up close, I can't see fine detail like smaller scars and roughness, so everyone looks like they have amazing skin. Bright light makes my vision worse. It seem like a thin white film is covering everything, making light-colored things almost glow. Oftentimes, harsh, direct light will create shadows that confuse me since the world becomes too visually complicated. Certain shadows might look like steps to me since my distance perception is basically zero. The situation is similar for dim places. Everything goes gray (or black, if it's quite dark). I can't see depth or shadows in the night, it's just one big wall of black, dotted by streetlights. I see quite well under the perfect conditions: evenly distributed light of medium intensity with simple and high-contrast items plus relatively stationary people and things. But...life rarely provides perfect conditions. Navigating the world with blurry, restricted vision.There are three main navigation techniques that blind and low-vision folks: a white cane, seeing-eye animal, or nothing. There is some political and personal preferences involved in one's choice.Many people who don't have vision loss push me to get a dog. They seem to feel more comfortable with the idea of a seeing-eye dog. Some of them even think that it's a cool way to get a very well-trained pet. It's not that simple. A white cane can be put away at any time. A white cane doesn't shed, poop, require vet visits, or develop a mind of its own. Nobody wants to pet a cane, either. Seeing-eye dogs are wonderful, but have a lot of overhead. It's a personal choice, dependent on one's lifestyle and needs. As simple as the white cane may be, it still requires training.[2] There are different holds, arcs and contacts. You hold and move it different ways depending on how many people are around you, familiarity of the area, among other factors. The white cane gives you a lot of information, but there are a few things that get me:  chairs and tables (my cane simply slips underneath), overhanging brush (again, my cane isn't high enough), and cracks (sometimes my cane will bounce back, which is annoying).  You learn how to map out the world differently. Instead of reading the street signs, you count the number of intersections. You stop using the pedestrian signals to know when to cross the street, but look (or listen for) the traffic flow. (Many blind and low vision folks also use GPS systems, but it's usually too noisy for me to hear the instructions, so I don't use GPS very often.) Landmarks, such as a distinctive building or a fire hydrant orient you to the world around you. Memory becomes crucial. Sometimes I use a human guide. I hate to do this, not just because it limits my independence, but because most people...are terrible at it. They'll grab you and proceed to drag you, making you disoriented and stumble. They'll forget to stop before a step, so you fall. Even with instruction, guiding someone else is an intuitive exercise that not a lot of people have a talent for.  How the blind read.Since I'm deafblind, this is a different endeavor for me than it is for the average blind/low vision individual. I remember when I was sitting with a low vision specialist. She kept telling me that I should use the text-to-speech software on my computer. "But I'm deaf, so...wouldn't braille be better?" I asked her. "You can hear me, so You can hear the computer." (I have a cochlear implant, so I can hold a conversation reasonably well, but it's not perfect.) I explained to her that it wouldn't be easy for me and I'd probably end up missing words and get tired, but she still insisted that it was the best course.I ignored her and learned Braille. Right now I'm about 60-70% of my old reading speed and I'm pretty goshdarned proud of myself. My point is that people can be dogmatic when it comes to alternative reading techniques. Some people will advocate that a person with low vision read visually, regardless of how slow or difficult it is. Others will advocate auditory-only training since it provides most blind and low-vision folks the fastest transitions. So, there is some politics involved. Each blind and low vision individual should choose whatever reading technique fits their needs the best: visual, auditory or braille. For more information about assistive technologies:How long does it take to learn Braille, and does it get harder as you get older?What is it like to use a refreshable braille device with a laptop or tablet?How people treat you.The biggest change after I started to use my white cane was the loss of my anonymity. With a cane or a seeing-eye animal, people notice you because you're different. This is good and bad. I usually get excellent customer service at restaurants, stores, and offices with employees going out of their way to make sure my needs are met. I'm very grateful for these employees. Most people are willing to give me directions. I get on first on flights and sometimes get placed in the first row. Crowds part like the Red Sea when I approach. Kindness has been the general rule.As with any rule, there are exceptions. Some people stare or back away from me as if I'm infectious (they think I don't see them, but I do). There are also people who overcompensate in their kindness. Once, I asked this woman for directions, and she proceeded to lead me, step by step, to the front desk of where I was going. When she tried to take over, I had to tell her firmly that I was fine, and should go on with what she was doing. Her intentions were good, but overweening kindness is almost as insulting as people who flinch. Since I'm no longer anonymous, people watch me. I feel constant pressure not to stumble or fall, which is tough since I'm a generally clumsy person and relatively new to using a cane. It's a dispiriting feeling; the sense that you can't make a mistake, that you can't trip.I often find myself missing my anonymity the most (but it is nice to get in front of the line in amusement parks!). The emotional side of losing one's vision.It's the change that's the hard part, not the vision loss itself. People born blind don't need to struggle with this aspect; people, like me, who lose their sight later in life do. The most destructive part of losing one's sight is the feeling of incompetence. As someone who's not naturally organized and orderly, the new way of interacting with the world can get rough. I've broken or cracked more than half of my set of drinking glasses by dropping or knocking them over. I vacuum up electrical cords because I forgot to check for stray cords. I've walked into people by accident. I've stepped on my cats too many times to mention, and I'm afraid that one of them holds a grudge. I'm the kind of person who hates feeling inept. I like doing things well; to a certain degree, I've done many things well. At times, I feel like a failure at adapting. When I misplace something for the umpteenth time, I find myself berating myself for not being better at being blind. I'm getting better, though. I haven't cracked a glass in months. The electrical cords haven't been ruined by the vacuum in almost a year. My cats now know to avoid me when I'm moving quickly. Adapting is a much slower process than I ever expected, but it's moving in the right direction.One of the more discerning aspects of vision loss was how my conception of myself has changed. Even though I've known that I had RP since childhood, I've never thought of myself as blind. I'm starting to think of myself that way now. I've stopped squinting, thinking that I would see better, only if I tried harder. My self-consciousness about the white cane is waning. I've even started dreaming of myself as I am: an awkward, clumsy blind person. The path to acceptance is a slow one, full of cracked glasses and disgruntled cats, but I'm getting there. ___________[1]: Legal blindness qualifies one for certain services from the U.S. state and federal governments, including the right to use a white cane or a seeing-eye animal. Moreover, legal blindness applies to people who are blind and have low vision. Blindness [2]: Trained professionals called Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Instructors are typically ones who provides this training. Depending on the state that one lives in, this service is provided by non-profit organizations or contractors, among others. Competence really varies. I've had good and bad O&M instructors and the difference is amazing.

NOOOOOOO. You are talking to a military romance scammer. I received an email from the US Army that directly answers your question that is pasted below please keep reading.I believe you are the victim of a military Romance Scam whereas the person you are talking to is a foreign national posing as an American Soldier claiming to be stationed overseas on a peacekeeping mission. That's the key to the scam they always claim to be on a peacekeeping mission.Part of their scam is saying that they have no access to their money that their mission is highly dangerous.If your boyfriend girlfriend/future husband/wife is asking you to do the following or has exhibited this behavior, it is a most likely a scam:Moves to private messaging site immediately after meeting you on Facebook or SnapChat or Instagram or some dating or social media site. Often times they delete the site you met them on right after they asked you to move to a more private messaging siteProfesses love to you very quickly & seems to quote poems and song lyrics along with using their own sort of broken language, as they profess their love and devotion quickly. They also showed concern for your health and love for your family.Promises marriage as soon as he/she gets to state for leave that they asked you to pay for.They Requests money (wire transfers) and Amazon, iTune ,Verizon, etc gift cards, for medicine, religious practices, and leaves to come home, internet access, complete job assignments, help sick friend, get him out of trouble, or anything that sounds fishy.The military does provide all the soldier needs including food medical Care and transportation for leave. Trust me, I lived it, you are probably being scammed. I am just trying to show you examples that you are most likely being connned.Below is an email response I received after I sent an inquiry to the US government when I discovered I was scammed. I received this wonderful response back with lots of useful links on how to find and report your scammer. And how to learn more about Romance Scams.Right now you can also copy the picture he gave you and do a google image search and you will hopefully see the pictures of the real person he is impersonating. this doesn't always work and take some digging. if you find the real person you can direct message them and alert them that their image is being used for scamming.Good Luck to you and I'm sorry this may be happening to you. please continue reading the government response I received below it's very informative.   You have contacted an email that is monitored by the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command. Unfortunately, this is a common concern. We assure you there is never any reason to send money to anyone claiming to be a Soldier online. If you have only spoken with this person online, it is likely they are not a U.S. Soldier at all. If this is a suspected imposter social media profile, we urge you to report it to that platform as soon as possible. Please continue reading for more resources and answers to other frequently asked questions:  How to report an imposter Facebook profile: Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... < Caution-https://www.facebook.com/help/16... >   Answers to frequently asked questions:  - Soldiers and their loved ones are not charged money so that the Soldier can go on leave.  - Soldiers are not charged money for secure communications or leave.  - Soldiers do not need permission to get married.  - Soldiers emails are in this format: john.doe.mil@mail.mil < Caution-mailto: john.doe.mil@mail.mil > anything ending in .us or .com is not an official email account.  - Soldiers have medical insurance, which pays for their medical costs when treated at civilian health care facilities worldwide – family and friends do not need to pay their medical expenses.  - Military aircraft are not used to transport Privately Owned Vehicles.  - Army financial offices are not used to help Soldiers buy or sell items of any kind.  - Soldiers deployed to Combat Zones do not need to solicit money from the public to feed or house themselves or their troops.  - Deployed Soldiers do not find large unclaimed sums of money and need your help to get that money out of the country.  Anyone who tells you one of the above-listed conditions/circumstances is true is likely posing as a Soldier and trying to steal money from you.  We would urge you to immediately cease all contact with this individual.  For more information on avoiding online scams and to report this crime, please see the following sites and articles:   This article may help clarify some of the tricks social media scammers try to use to take advantage of people: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/61432/>   CID advises vigilance against 'romance scams,' scammers impersonating Soldiers  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 < Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/180749 >   FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center: Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx< Caution-http://www.ic3.gov/default.aspx>   U.S. Army investigators warn public against romance scams: Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/130...>   DOD warns troops, families to be cybercrime smart -Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...< Caution-http://www.army.mil/article/1450...>   Use caution with social networking  Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...< Caution-https://www.army.mil/article/146...>    Please see our frequently asked questions section under scams and legal issues. Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ < Caution-http://www.army.mil/faq/ > or visit Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ < Caution-http://www.cid.army.mil/ >.  The challenge with most scams is determining if an individual is a legitimate member of the US Army. Based on the Privacy Act of 1974, we cannot provide this information. If concerned about a scam you may contact the Better Business Bureau (if it involves a solicitation for money), or local law enforcement. If you're involved in a Facebook or dating site scam, you are free to contact us direct; (571) 305-4056.   If you have a social security number, you can find information about Soldiers online at Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... < Caution-https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/appj/sc... > . While this is a free search, it does not help you locate a retiree, but it can tell you if the Soldier is active duty or not.  If more information is needed such as current duty station or location, you can contact the Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) by phone or mail and they will help you locate individuals on active duty only, not retirees. There is a fee of $3.50 for businesses to use this service. The check or money order must be made out to the U.S. Treasury. It is not refundable. The address is:  Commander Soldier's Records Data Center (SRDC) 8899 East 56th Street Indianapolis, IN 46249-5301 Phone: 1-866-771-6357  In addition, it is not possible to remove social networking site profiles without legitimate proof of identity theft or a scam. If you suspect fraud on this site, take a screenshot of any advances for money or impersonations and report the account on the social networking platform immediately.  Please submit all information you have on this incident to Caution-www.ic3.gov < Caution-http://www.ic3.gov > (FBI website, Internet Criminal Complaint Center), immediately stop contact with the scammer (you are potentially providing them more information which can be used to scam you), and learn how to protect yourself against these scams at Caution-http://www.ftc.gov < Caution-http://www.ftc.gov > (Federal Trade Commission's website)

I was selected for a summer internship 2016.I tried to be very open while filling the preference form: I choose many products as my favorite products and I said I'm open about the team I want to join.I even was very open in the  location and start date to get host matching interviews (I negotiated the start date in the interview until both me and my host were happy.) You could ask your recruiter to review your form (there are very cool and could help you a lot since they have a bigger experience).Do a search on the potential team.Before the interviews,  try to find smart question that you are going to ask for the potential host (do a search on the team  to find nice and deep questions to impress your host). Prepare well your resume.You are very likely not going to get algorithm/data structure questions like in the first round. It's going to be just some friendly chat if you are lucky. If your potential team is working on something like machine learning, expect that  they are going to ask you questions about machine learning, courses related to machine learning you have and relevant experience (projects, internship). Of course you have to study that before the interview. Take as long time as you need if you feel rusty. It takes some time to get ready for the host matching (it's less than the technical interview)  but it's worth it of course.