INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Talk to your doctor to see if a weight-loss supplement is right for you. Your general practitioner will also be able to review the ingredients in the type of Plexus you choose to use, and make sure that the included chemicals are safe for ingestion. Your doctor may also discuss the possibility of side effects based on the medical and chemical ingredients of Plexus. Weight-loss supplements operate by suppressing your appetite, making you feel less hungry than you would otherwise be. They may also increase your metabolism. Plexus products are not medication and have not been medically evaluated. To ascertain their effectiveness, medications are run through double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trials. Plexus has not been put through these tests, so its claims to effectiveness are essentially unproven.  This does not mean that Plexus is ineffective. However, since its claims to effectiveness and its ingredients have not been medically evaluated, it’s impossible to medically determine if Plexus products have the effect that the company claims. In general, weight-loss supplements work best when paired with lifestyle changes, including exercising and eating healthy foods. For example, Plexus Slim, the company’s primary product, contains chromium, Garcinia cambogia extract, green coffee bean extract, and alpha lipoic acid (ALA). Independent studies performed on these four substances have indicated, for example, that ALA and green coffee bean extract may provide slight help with short-term weight loss. The majority of studies have been relatively inconclusive. While Plexus products may be fine weight-loss supplements, they should not be taken to help with serious medical conditions. The manufacturers of Plexus were notified by the FDA in 2014 that their online product descriptions contained misleading language.  While some of this language has been removed from the Plexus website, the site still incorrectly claims that Plexus products help with medical issues. Despite claims to the contrary made by the makers of Plexus, the product will not have any effect on symptoms of autism, multiple sclerosis, jock itch, or fibromyalgia. The Plexus Ambassador program promises a large income and various bonuses (a luxury car, vacations, etc.) to individuals willing to sell Plexus to their family and friends. Ambassadors only gain income by recruiting new Ambassadors with similar promises of a large income and financial bonuses.  However, the initial income for Ambassadors is very low, and is offset by the annual membership fees and mandatory monthly Plexus wholesale purchases. In short, the Plexus Ambassador program is a pyramid scheme.

SUMMARY: Consult with your doctor before taking any weight-loss supplement. Do not expect dramatic results from Plexus products. Read medical studies about the primary ingredients of Plexus products. Do not take Plexus products to help with any medical conditions. Think carefully before becoming a Plexus Ambassador.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: As soon as you bury the statue, you should say a prayer to St. Joseph, asking for his intercession. The exact prayer can vary, and you can go with a pre-written prayer or a prayer from your own heart.  Some prayers “threaten” St. Joseph, essentially stating that he should sell your home for you if he wants to get out of the ground. These prayers somewhat undermine the value of asking for intercession, however, so they are generally not preferred. Consider using a simple, humble prayer, like the following: "O Blessed St. Joseph, tenderhearted father, faithful guardian of Jesus, chaste spouse of the Mother of God, I pray you to join with me in praising God the Father through his divine Son who died on the cross and rose again to give us sinners new life. Through the holy name of Jesus, pray that we may obtain from the eternal Father the favor we ask for: our home sale. We have been unfaithful to the unfailing love of God the Father; beg of Jesus mercy for us his brothers and sisters. Amid the splendors of God's loving presence, do not forget the sorrows of whose who weep. By your prayers and those of your most holy spouse, our blessed Lady, may the love of Jesus answer our call of confident hope. Amen." While saying a single prayer at the time of burial is good, repeating a prayer for intercession each day from that point on demonstrates a greater degree of faith and earnestness. You can say the same prayer each day or offer a different one. Instead of saying a standard prayer each day, you could try saying a novena. A novena is a set of prayers recited over the course of nine days. There are different variations, but essentially, you say a different prayer each day and follow each prayer with an “Our Father.” Consider using the following novena:  Day One: O God, guide of those who listen and helper of those who hear your voice, speak to me, as you did to St. Joseph, and help me accomplish the things you give me to do. Day Two: O God, you love your people and bless the ordinary lives we quietly live. As you blessed St. Joseph, bless what I do, however hidden and simple it may be, and let all I do be done with love. Day Three: O God, ever faithful, you remember us always and in time reveal your blessings. Help me trust in you, as St. Joseph faithfully trusted, and never let me lose faith in the wonderful gifts you promise me. Day Four: God of families, bless the family that's mine. Keep us safe from harm, and never let evil come between us. Let peace remain in our hearts. Day Five: O God, who loves children, be kind to our children today. Give them eyes of faith for seeing far, a loving heart for welcoming life, and a place always at your side. Day Six: God of our heavenly home, bless our home on earth. Let the spirit of Mary and Joseph rest at our table, shape our words and actions, and bring blessing to our children. Day Seven: God, our Father, give your fatherly spirit to those who are fathers now. Like Joseph, give them hearts of devoted love for their wives and children and strength for forgiveness and patience. Day Eight: Give shelter, O God, to those who need it, and bring together families divided. Give us enough to eat, and decent work to earn our bread. Care for us, O God. Day 9: Bless all families, O Lord, especially those in need. Remembering the life of your Son, we pray for the poor, for those who lack a good home, for those in exile. Grant them a protector like Joseph, O God.

SUMMARY: Pray upon burial. Say a prayer each day until the house sells. Try a nine-day novena.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you are interviewing for a specific position, then any behavioral interview questions will probably relate to common challenges that you'll face while working. The questions will prompt you to explain how your personal attitude and skill-set will apply to this new job.  If you are applying for a job that involves customer service, then you will probably be asked questions about past experiences handling customers. How have you dealt with angry customers? How have you gone out of your way to satisfy customers?  If you are applying for a job that will entail working in a team, then some of the interview questions may revolve around your past experience working in teams. How have you taken charge or helped balance a team?  If the potential job involves emergency response or high-pressure situations, then many of the behavioral interview questions will seek to understand how you behave under pressure. Think about times when you have reacted calmly and decisively to a high-pressure situation. Read over lists of the most common interview questions. If you are applying to a big-name company that fields a lot of applicants, then search online for the accounts of others who have interviewed for the same job at the same company. You don't need to rehearse and regurgitate a scripted answer. You only need to be able to reference examples that paint you in a positive light. Before the interview, make a short list of situations and projects from past jobs that might be relevant to this new position.  Try to remember the details. If you cannot clearly explain what you did in a situation, then you should not use that situation as an example. Consider sketching out potential answers beforehand. Again: no need to memorize them! Simply use the writing as a tool for exploring how a given situation relates to the new job.

SUMMARY:
Think about the situations that you might encounter in the course of this job. Study common behavioral interview questions. Prepare, but don't over-prepare.