Home

How Well Do You Know Your Brain?

Written by

After a night out most of us feel half-brained, but in the 1800s doctors discovered that if one half of the brain suffered injury, an individual lost certain abilities. Nowadays we think of people as falling into one of two brain categories – if you are creative you are “right brained” and if you are mathematical or scientific, you are “left-brained”.

The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and the functions and abilities controlled by the two different sides of the brain are

Left: Logic, verbal skills, details, science, recalling names, maths, form strategies, order thinking, writing

Right: Pictures, stories, big picture, observation, shapes, music, patterns, beauty, imagination, possibility.

In some talents – for example music, which often accompanies a strong mathematical ability – it appears the two sides of the brain work together. The same is true of writing or verbal and stories or details, or pictures if you are an artist. So it seems we are not either logical or creative – ie left or right brained – at all, but an intriguing and unique mixture of both.

People only use around 10% of their brains is the favourite mantra of many teachers, but most people with active lives who constantly learn, read, chat to others and get around give their brain a good workout every day. However, lonely people or the elderly whose lives may not be so action-packed may actually experience some memory loss, loss of cognitive function or thought process – and their brain may actually shrink physically as the connections lessen from lack of use. As we age, we all develop some of the brain tangles which can cause Alzheimer’s and so it is crucial to make sure you are constantly processing new information – and reading or doing Brain Training workouts can help. People with particular talents or skills may use one part of their brain more than others – eg mathematicians would use the left side more. However, a maths expert who painted in their spare time and enjoyed pub quizzes and a run every morning would be giving their brain a good daily workout. Variety is the spice of life for your brain.

The brain stores and recalls every detail is not quite accurate asif you recalled everything your brain stored at once you would soon be pretty exhausted. The brain is much cleverer and takes an overall scan – but recall is edited and the hippocampus is the area of the brain used for short-term memory. There is much interest regarding how people recall past lives which are apparently stored in the subconscious mind and can be released under hypnosis. Hypnosis is also used for therapies and some counselling techniques, as it can help unlock stored memories which cannot immediately be accessed – but which may be holding us back or causing us grief in some way. The brain therefore acts like a computer – and computers were designed to work in the same way as a brain. When you experience something or see an object, the brain may take in all the details and store them, but you attribute maybe one or two details to the experience eg a blue car. It is only when you want to remember more details that you can call up the information in more detail – where the car was parked, the grass verge, the nodding dog in the back window, the scratch on the front wing and dent in the bumper.

Drinking kills brain cells is another dire warning for drinkers – heavy drinkers often complain their brain hurts and they may be right in some ways. Alcoholics do experience some loss of brain function, but this may be due to loss of connections in the brain or chemical changes as a result of addiction to alcohol, rather than cells actually dying on the spot if you drink alcohol. The less you use your brain cells, however, the less well they function – and diet and exercise are also very important to boost blood flow to the brain. Alcohol can have a profound effect on brain function, although an alcoholic may have just as many brain cells as a non-drinker – but the connections do not work as effectively and so thought processes in an alcoholic may be interrupted. Alcohol also affects physical functions such as co-ordination, which is why drunks stagger about or you may feel wobbly after a few drinks. It may also explain why alcohol produces risky behaviour – your brains are all there, but normal service is interrupted.

Technology is making people more stupid is not quite as simple as it sounds. There is no doubt that technology makes life simpler for us and does some of the thinking we would have done in years gone by. Calculations and mental arithmetic are actually very good for the brain – and older people who tot up their shopping before the checkout are helping their brain make and maintain new connections which will help ward off Alzheimer’s. Technology may be making people lazier, however – while at the same time giving them access to less taxing information, such as celebrity gossip instead of classical literature (which actually has more sex and violence in it than your average TV soap, but also contains longer words). Technology helps us store memories, however, which used to be the job of the brain before memory cards. Anyone who loses access to their PC or smartphone will understand the panic experienced by those who suddenly fear their memory is going and they cannot recall important information. This can happen when you are tired or stressed, as the memory centre (the hippocampus) also governs sleep and is affected by stress.

Classical music breeds brainy babies is a myth which has led to womb music by the classical greats like Verdi and Mozart becoming a staple pregnancy past-time for yummy mummies hoping to produce an Einstein. Classical composers tend to be geniuses – and Mozart was the archetypical child prodigy who was annoyingly successful at musical composition and playing the piano before he could sit up straight on a piano stool. Doctors now know that babies can hear in the womb and many mums-to-be find that playing soothing music to a foetus can stop it kicking – this may be because the music calms the mother and babies feel their mother’s stress in the womb. Mozart’s music was famously dismissed as “Too many notes” by the Emperor Joseph II. The complexity of classical music can challenge our brains and rouse or soothe our spirits – and experts believe there may be some temporary brain bolstering to be had from listening to Lizst or dozing to Debussy. Whether baby will be born singing “Nessun Dorma” note for note after nine months of Puccini is another matter.

Brain training boosts IQ is a possibility as doctors now know that we need to keep our brain active to help prevent Alzheimer’s disease – but can brain training really make us even cleverer? A study by really clever BBC boffins asked 8,600 people aged 18-60 to play online games intended to improve memory, reasoning and other cognitive skills three times a week for 10 minutes a day. They then compared the results with 2,700 people who surfed the internet for the same amount of time without playing braining training games. The BBC boffins found that when tested there was no significant difference in cognitive skills between the groups – and on some tests the internet surfers performed better. If you like brain training, keep up the good work – and if you enjoy surfing the Internet, do so. No one is sure whether iQ is a true test of “intelligence”, anyway.

Your IQ doesn’t change was a school of thought which existed forgenerations and much used to be made of IQ – every parent seems to want a genius for a child (Note: Some children would like geniuses for parents, actually.) However, the debate on IQ and its importance still rages. IQs over 160 are only in evidence in less than 1% of the population – Professor Stephen Hawking’s IQ is 160 and he is quite bright. Other IQ myths include certain nationalities (okay, the Chinese) supposedly being more intelligent than the rest of us (they did finish sequencing their section of the Human Genome Project first). One of the arguments surrounding the old fashioned IQ tests is that the responses can be learned over time – ie you can teach people logic and how to respond to the tests.

Brains under pressure work better would be great if only it were true all the time.“My brain hurts” applies to any situation when you have to think fast on your feet – and when you are under pressure, the body releases adrenalin, which gets the heart pumping and keeps the brain well supplied with oxygen-giving red bloods cells to boost brain function. Some people however, just get the adrenalin buzz which soon turns into panic and mental confusion in a crisis – you may forget essential details like where you left the car, as the flight or fight instinct paralyses you. Your heart still pumps blood to the brain but the connections cannot process everything that is happening and it is hard to make decisions. Your brain may not work well under pressure because stress hormones like cortisol can be lethal to brain cells – and also produce those physical feelings of panic. The hippocampus (which stores information and governs short-term memory) also shrinks temporarily when cortisol is released, so take a deep breath and try and calm down so your brain can work under pressure.

Guest Post Writer:

Leo Wyatt is a freelance writer & journalist who graduated from Birmingham University and has particular interests in cars, sports, parenting, safety, politics, law and health. Leo has worked for several newspapers in the midlands but now spends most of his time writing articles for companies, websites and businesses on a freelance basis, primarily the brain injury experts who offer support and rehabilitation for individuals who have suffered a brain injury.

Suboxone Can Create Addiction Instead Of Curing It

Written by

Picture this: you are in prison for a drug charge of some sort, either possession or selling, and you are going through the symptoms of opiate withdrawal without anyone caring. What do you do?

You have someone on the outside send you a letter or a card that has been coated in crushed up Suboxone, a drug used to counteract opiate addiction.

Allow me to explain.

Opiates are the category of drugs that kill pain. Heroin, morphine, codeine, hydrocodone (Vicodin and Norco), and oxycodone (OxyContin) are opiates. Prescription painkillers, legal when appropriately used as medically directed, and heroin, illegal on all counts, are highly addictive and when you stop taking them, you are not a happy camper!

When an opiate addict decides to stop using, he or she goes through detoxification, the process of ridding the system of any substances floating around. A great option is to go through detox in a rehab facility that has a staff who will monitor you. Medications can be administered to help, one of which is Suboxone.

An Opiate Too

The drug itself is an opiate, too, but is put into pill-form in a way that slowly releases the drug into the person’s body, rather than at high doses that lead to euphoria and addiction.

The thing about it though is that Suboxone can create addiction instead of curing it.

Same Rush As An Opiate

Someone can get a prescription for Suboxone and abuse it. Crushing up and snorting Suboxone pills can give the euphoric rush that comes from other opiate use, so why would any doctor prescribe an opiate like that to an opiate addict?

The idea is to control cravings for opiates and to lower the possibility of a high if the person does use another opiate.

Debate Continues

The debate continues, but the use of Suboxone during withdrawal really does help. A titration schedule, where you start taking less and less Suboxone each day or week, is in place while in rehab so that you only get so much of an opiate and only while you need it.

So back to the lead-in scenario. If you have been using heroin, for example, and then you are arrested for selling it, you will be going through the almost intolerable withdrawal symptoms without medical attention in the confines of a jail cell, and without any medication (Suboxone) assistance.

Alleviate Discomfort

You will be contacting everyone you know who is not in jail, trying to get your hands on something to help alleviate the discomfort. You will ask around and pay good money for Suboxone in any form during those excruciating days. You will try anything to get your hands on something that will make you feel better.

So why not just try for some heroin, or some Vicodin or OxyContin? Because then you will need to keep finding those drugs, or withdrawal will happen over and over, each time you use.

Withdrawal Symptoms

Suboxone will keep you from feeling withdrawal symptoms as severely, but it will not get you up to a high point that only takes you straight down into withdrawal…unless you crush it and snort it.

Do you see how Suboxone can create addiction instead of curing it?

Another Scenario

Another scenario that shows the usefulness of Suboxone is a young opiate addict who agrees to treatment. He enters rehab and goes through detox with the assistance of Suboxone, as recommended by the medical staff of the treatment team. Instead of taking pills anymore, the young rehab client is now on Suboxone, still in the opiate family of drugs. Is this young addict really sober?

Is the addiction continuing on, just now this individual is addicted to Suboxone instead of heroin or Vicodin?

Should we take each addict case-by-case, or just add Suboxone to the list of opiates that are addictive instead of pretending that it can cure addiction?

Guest Post Author:

Marissa Maldonado is director of admissions at Sovereign Health Group, a dual diagnosis treatment center, helping people with drug issues like opiate addiction and suboxone detox.

The 20 Most Annoying Things About Working In An Office

Written by

This started out as an article about the 10 most annoying things about office working, but as I sought opinions from colleagues, it soon became clear just how much we all irritate each other. At least half the issues raised were probably down to the post 1970s trend towards open plan offices. Prior to then clerks and typists were often put into a big room with tidy rows of desks akin to a classroom, and everyone else had an office with a door, a coat stand and an ashtray (think Mad Men or Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin!). I considered the possibility of grouping the pet hates into categories but they are all quite diverse so I decided to put the universally accepted number 1 most annoying thing first and then go alphabetical for everything else.

1.Long meetings

Having once worked for an organization where would have meetings about meetings and then spend endless hours in meeting rooms achieving very little, I am very sympathetic to this popular choice. I did once suggest that we did remove all the chairs from the meeting rooms on the basis that if everyone had to stand up, the meetings would be much shorter. We had a meeting about it but the idea got nowhere!

2. “4:55 meetings”

As in people who organize meetings five minutes before everyone is due to leave. The only advantage of this is that it does tend to produce a much shorter meeting as people will then keep their blue sky thinking to themselves for a change.

3. Buzzwords and Jargon

If you were out with friends would you ever use words like synergy, thinking outside the box, pushing the envelope, content streamlining, going forward? The rise of the game of ‘Bullshit Bingo’ is testament to the universal dislike of corporate jargon.

4. Clocking it

On the one hand there are the bosses who clock you leaving on time and on the other there are employees with their computer shut down and coat on with 5 minutes to go before the leaving time.

5. Eating

There are two main culprits here. First are the desk breakfasters who, rather than get out of bed 20 minutes earlier, prefer to go to work and have breakfast, with the added incentive that they can usually swipe some of the office milk! There are also the people who delight in eating hot food at their desk thereby creating a powerful and lingering food smell for everyone else to enjoy!

6. Eau de underarm

Always a difficult subject to broach at work and hints will usually go unnoticed. You simply need to employ someone fearless who will be prepared to go up to them and ask if they have washed recently.

7. Emails

Some people ignore emails on the basis that if it is important then the person can email them again for a second, third or fourth time. There is a scientifically proven correlation between the amount of work involved for the person to whom you have sent the email and the rate at which you get a reply.

8. Extreme perfumes

I used to work with someone who wore so much perfume that you could smell her about 10 seconds before she came into view – this is probably what dogs can do with humans.

9. Germs

There is always sickness martyr who insists on coming in when they are ill (and making a lot of fuss about the whole thing) and won’t take sick leave until they have successfully infected half the office.

10. Mess

If you have ever shared a student house then you will be familiar with the concept of not washing up anything in the kitchen until finally someone finally cracks. Some people aren’t even bothered about this desk looking like a bomb site and are happy to pile up paper until the fire officer is called in to warn about your paper mountain being a fire hazard.

11.Noise

The first generation of open plan offices usually had partitions or desktop screens between desks, but with the exception of call centers even these screens have come down. This means that if you have a noisy typer, eater, hummer, whistler or just someone who talks loudly, then they can annoy most of the office and not just those closest to them. The only solution is industrial ear plugs or some other form of ear protection!

12. Phone conversations that everyone can hear

There are no words known to mankind that will make a room full of people go silent than to hear someone say on the phone “I’m calling about my test results.”

13. Printer

According to the Daily Mash, scientists are less than a decade away from a fully operational printer – one that won’t have a paper jam at the worst possible time or have CDs with drivers which disappear forever within days of the new printer appearing.

14. Room temperature

In most offices there seem to be a room temperature or air conditioning war that constantly rumbles on. On the one hand there are people who say it is too hot, but refuse to remove any of their four layers of clothing and those who sit there in a t-shirt or low neck, sleeveless blouse and say that they are cold.

15. Smug healthy people

You know the type – they’ve cycled to work, spent a large part of the day munching seeds, go for a jog at lunchtime and then talk all afternoon about yesterday’s yoga class.

16. Stuff that gets ‘borrowed’

Speaking of which, where is my pen, stapler, scissors, highlighter pen, hole punch, calculator…

17. Wall Corporate Slogans

Corporate slogans or mission statements on the walls of the reception area are usually a sign of an Ad. agency or PR consultancy, but you will also see this spill over into motivational office posters. OK, not quite Soviet Union style proclamations, but from my desk I can see a recycling poster telling me to ‘Help Save the Planet’ and to ‘Get the Feel-good factor’.

18. Whip-rounds

I used to work in an office where there where around 100 staff, so barely a day would pass without a birthday or ‘leaving’ card being passed around with an envelope for donations. As well as being an expensive practice which is non tax deductible, there is also tremendous pressure to write something amusing or ‘different’ in someone’s card. I have been given a great tip that the best solution is to read other comments and write down the best one higher up the page so it looks like the other person copied you.

19. When things don’t work

Things that really should work but when they don’t anarchy ensues because most of these are I.T. related and no one has a clue what to do. High on this list are computers, servers, email systems, ‘The Internet,’ telephones and our friend the printer. You could also add in lighting – a flickering light could stay that way for months.

20. Whispering

Although this may seem to clash with the earlier complaint about noise, the only time anyone actually whispers in an office is when they are gossiping, and gossip is rarely a good thing!

Featured images:
  • office partitions The 20 Most Annoying Things About Working In An Office License: The Workplace Depot
  • corporate slogans The 20 Most Annoying Things About Working In An Office License:  The Workplace Depot

Guest Post Author:

Richard Bloomfield works for The Workplace Depot, a leading UK office and workplace supplies company.

Florida Is Paid To Keep Illegal Immigrants

Written by

In this post we discuss the legal issues associated with Florida’s growing illegal immigration problems.

When a national problem like illegal immigration sets in to harm an entire resident population by adding unsustainable environmental stress to an area, legal solutions can sometimes become part of the problem. After all, legal solutions are not meant to deal with real environmental hazards but to offer compensation following events caused by environmental hazards. That kind of legal matter that is unique to Florida is the illegal alien population that is estimated at more than 700,000 causing undue stress to the environmental safety of all Floridians as well as adding to the federal government’s frustration to legally handling the illegal alien population.

History of Current Illegal Populations in Florida

As the third biggest state in the country, Florida is also one of the most populated states and home to more than 16 million. Florida’s current burst in population is almost entirely foreign born immigrants and may not even be part of the census since a census can record only legal immigrants and residents. Florida’s foreign born population is the highest in the country and includes both legal and illegal immigrants. Its 700,000 illegal aliens are at the most dangerous level since they intrude into environmentally important areas in Florida at will. Their contribution to Florida is to spend about 9 months picking crops in Florida. Florida has taken some legal steps to stop the ever growing illegal foreign immigration. One step was to invest State of Florida monies in foreign countries to help improve their economy. That solution was not successful in keeping out continued migrations of illegal immigrants. In trying to deal with the problem legally, Florida has sued the federal government charging that the federal government was not helping the State to stop illegal foreign immigration. The federal government denied Florida’s lawsuit but gave Florida 18 million dollars to help Florida with its Florida Immigration Initiative.

Florida Legal Cases Involving Illegal Immigrants

The laws enacted by this Florida Immigration Initiative call for federal prosecutors to handle all cases of illegal immigrants in Florida courts. In order to afford the legal expenses of dealing with illegal immigrants, the federal government has recompensed Florida about 33 million to help cover its expenses at trying and keeping in jail illegal immigrants. The financial and environmental strain on Florida is believed by many environmentalists as well as legal experts who are frustrated in trying cases in Floridian courts to be a dangerous situation that can affect the entire nation. Besides causing dangerous water and housing shortages in Florida, the severe loss of much of the Everglades to paving of land and stripping the area of necessary vegetation, is projected to significantly increase weather catastrophes is other parts of the nation as well as significantly endangering the health of all Floridians dependent of fresh drinking water which would also include all plants and wildlife in Florida.

Court Cases Clouding Florida Courts

The seriously large number of cases in Florida courts involving illegal immigrants has stressed the State’s legal control of its own courts. Since federal prosecutors are to be involved in cases involving illegal immigrants many of Florida State Laws are not considered in decision making with federal monies replacing Florida laws. This situation can affect other cases in Florida courts that extend settlement of legal cases in Florida courts until federal jurisdiction has been decided.

Rights of Legal Residents in Florida are Violated

The dangerous impact of the illegal immigration in Florida on all residents, legal and illegal, is violating the rights of Florida residents to a healthy environment and laws that can be applied equally. Many illegal immigrants have taken over Florida courts as greatly as they have taken over Florida housing and water resources. The lack of equal representation in courts due to the federal prosecutors taken precedence over State laws is causing a serious social problem in Florida and causing much of the dead lock of settlement of cases in Florida courts. Finding a lawyer in Florida that can handle your case if you are not an illegal immigrant is easy enough but getting your case heard in court regardless of the nature of your case can be a disturbing situation due to the illegal immigration that is being handle by federal prosecutors and the federal money that is being sent to Florida to compensate the State for its dangerous overcrowding and environmental hazards.

Guest Post Author:

This article was provided by Milos B. from Central Florida. He highly recommends the professional services of Rue, Ziffra & Caldwell, a group of dedicated Daytona Beach Lawyers that have served the citizens of Florida for over 30 years.

Pills That Kill: Medication Side Effects

Written by

pills that kill medication side effects Pills That Kill: Medication Side Effects

Although science and technology has come a long way in delivering some very safe and effective medicines to treat a multitude of problems, side effects are still a dangerous complication of trying out a new drug. Medications undergo rigorous clinical testing, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t complex and damaging side effects likely to happen. In fact, some side effects can cause serious trauma for the patient and forever alter their quality of life. Although speaking with a physician prior to taking medicine can help to pick up on some red flags, it’s impossible to guarantee that you won’t experience some side effects with any medication.

Liver Problems

Any medication that mentions liver function can be extremely damaging for patients experiencing that side effect. The liver actually processes all medicines that enter the body and assists with filtering out chemicals or other compounds that could be toxic for other body organs. Depending on the severity of the medication, these toxic components can wreak their own havoc on the liver itself. Although the most common medicine for severe liver problems is acetaminophen (in large doses), there are many others that can induce complications or even cause long-term scarring. Some of the signals of a liver injury from medication include fatigue, fever, or abdominal pain and swelling.

Alterations in Sight

One of the most terrifying medication complications involves any drug that can alter a person’s sight or temporarily dull their senses. One such example is the dissociative anesthetic Ketamine, which can distort patient perception of both sight and sounds. Although it’s most commonly used in burn therapy or radiation treatment of cancers, sometimes it’s used as an anesthetic alternative for children. When a drug causes serious pain or symptoms in the patient, the case should be evaluated for a PI claim. If the side effects continue after the treatment has been completed, this is a sign it’s time to contact an injury attorney.

Heart Conditions

Another form of complications from medications involves any side effects linked to the heart. Those with heart conditions should proceed cautiously when adding any new medication to their routine and do so only after careful consultation with their doctor. Anyone who has already lived through heart condition side effects as a result of medication needs to speak with a licensed injury attorney.

Suicidal Thoughts and Behavior

Sometimes, suicidal thoughts linked to medications can alter a person’s behavior or perception greatly. Any kind of medication that can alter the state of the mind has serious potential for self-harm or harm of others, and should be monitored closely. Occasionally, the feelings associated with these side effects can be overwhelming and cause the patient to feel as though they are depressed. If you experience symptoms of feeling like suicide or what you might otherwise consider an altered mental state, contact a physician immediately to discuss whether you should continue with the drug. The behavior connected to medication side effects can be life-threatening, depending on the severity.

Make sure that you are fully aware of any side effects that are associated with the medication you are taking. Don’t be afraid to ask your doctor to explain, in detail, any issues that may occur based off of your prescription. It is your life, make sure you are always informed!

Featured images:
  • medication side effects Pills That Kill: Medication Side Effects  Image guest author owned
  • pills that kill medication side effects Pills That Kill: Medication Side Effects Image guest author owned

Guest Post Author:

Andrew Miller is an Avid Legal Blogger, environmental law student, and author. Find him on Twitter @amillerblog

5 Content Marketing Ideas For Lawyers

Written by

Ever wondered if you can use content marketing in the legal profession?

 

In the legal market it can be difficult to come up with unique takes for creating original content that attorneys’ sites can use. We’ve put together a list of five content ideas lawyers can take advantage of and integrate into their legal sites.

Legal Myths

Take time to address the multitude of legal myths that fill the world today. People will actively keep up with information that has tangible gains for them, as knowing certain aspects about their rights or the law is to their advantage. This can be anything from the idea that a speeding ticket misspelled means it’s invalid to your rights under search and seizure procedures by law enforcement. In this case you are telling prospective clients what they don’t know and you are doing so free of charge. When they reference the information they’ve learnt in regards to legal matters later, your firm’s name will come to mind.

Awards

If you or any other attorneys at your practice win any awards, let everyone know. This might be anything from a minor municipal honor to the American Bar Association’s prestigious Silver Gavel Award. The key aspect is to let your audience know that you are distinguished from other lawyers in the area in some way, because if you won a certain award it means the other lawyer(s) in the area did not.

Current Events

Being a lawyer, currents events ranging from legislation to Supreme Court decisions are relevant to your profession. Many people, to a degree, keep up with major cases or legislation. Some examples might include the Affordable Care Act or Defense of Marriage Act. In June of 2013 alone the Supreme Court will make rulings on affirmative action, gay marriage, patenting of human genes, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Your experience in law can give you a unique take on the material, as well as a chance to inform your audience about legal matters in current events that will impact you, them, and the entire country. Of course be objective as possible in providing content and take a balanced approach when covering controversial legal matters. The more the hot button a legal topic though, the more people will be compelled to read it for information. It also offers a platform for respectful debate, as you can invite comments and viewpoints of others.

Charity

Take time to donate money or even more valuable for a lawyer, time. Providing your expertise or services to a noble cause can go beyond personal fulfillment, but it shows the public and your readership that you’re a normal person who favors a good cause just as much as anyone else if not more. This helps downplay any stereotypes typically associated with attorneys that tend to develop due to the high hourly wage or retainer fees that come with hiring one. It doesn’t hurt to show clients there’s more to you than your hourly cost, and doing so through volunteering or charity helps reinforce that. Be sure to take photographs to go along with the post you will eventually put up on your firm’s or simply your experience donating your time.

Reply to & Answer Questions

If a certain follower of your social media or blog asked a question, answer it in your next post and indicate that you are answering. For example, ‘insert name asked earlier this week about the difference between DUI and DWI.’ This lets followers know that you actually take into account what they inquire over or want to know. You can even invite followers to submit questions as well. In responding, you can aggregate questions and respond in one featured post, or break up your answers over time.

Guest Post Author:

Paul Colley Jr. is head of the Colley & Colley law firm in Austin, Texas. The attorneys at Colley & Colley specialize in business and personal injury law, and have won over $50 million on behalf of their clients.

The Factory Floor Can Be A Dangerous Place

Written by

We live in a world where we are surrounded by dangers; whether they are at home, out on the open road or at work. Nowhere is this more true and visible than on the factory floor. Factories usually contain a vast amount of high tech and specialist equipment, which can often endanger the lives and health of everyone within its vicinity if machinery is not maintained and looked after in the correct manner. Business owners should put safety as their number one priority to ensure that their employees are satisfied and able to work in a safe environment.

Lock out – tag out is a safety procedure which all employers who expect their employees to use dangerous machinery should consider. It is used widely in industry to protect individuals if a machine is in need of a service or maintenance. It works by shutting of the machine in question whilst this repair work is carried out. This system locks machinery in a position where it can not under any circumstances be turned on, whilst also displaying a tag which informs individuals of this matter. This isolates power sources which may be hazardous and thus improves the safety of your employees.

This blog post will look at some of the most common injuries which have been inflicted on individuals because of faulty machinery or employee misuse.

I lost My Finger in a Nose Picking Accident

The most common body parts which are injured in the workplace include the hands, fingers and arms. This is because these are the parts of the body which are most commonly used. Lack of employee training, inexperience and the incorrect safety equipment are all reasons why hands, fingers and arms sadly get caught in these dangerous machines. Often these parts of the body are cut or severed by machines which are not covered by the correct safety measures. Lock out – tag out systems could help to reduce the possibility of these injuries occurring.

Keep Your Eye on the Prize

Eyes are very delicate and can be damaged by the smallest of particles. Therefore, it is no surprise that when a broken machine fires debris and high speed projectiles towards an individual’s eye, the consequences can often be horrific. Such injuries show the importance of machine maintenance and having the correct safety guards fitted; plus safety goggles should be worn by all employees working on machines as a precautionary measure. If a machine is broken, then a lock out – tag out system could be installed to warn other individuals.

I’ve Got a Crush on You

Heavy machinery can often cause bones to become crushed between parts which can lead to breakages and fractures on vital parts of the body. These injuries usually require reconstructive surgery and mean that an individual will probably need a long period of time off work. By installing lock out – tag out systems onto your factory floor, you should be able to cut down on the amount of lost hours which mount up when an individual is involved in an accident.

I’ve Caught Something!

A common problem which has plagued the history of industry and factory work has been the once regular issue of individuals becoming snagged or caught in dangerous machines. Hair, jewellery and ill-fitting clothes are all items which can become caught in rotating machinery and to make matters worse, this machinery is usually moving at great speed. Once an item of clothing or hair is snagged by a machine, the individual is then dragged into the system, entangling them more and putting them in a horrific situation. Safety features such as emergency stop buttons and lock out – tag out systems can be installed onto your machinery to ensure that these devastating accidents do not happen in your business.
Guest Post Author:

Clint Hazard is a writer who believes that Lock out tag out systems should be considered by all who work with dangerous machinery to help prevent accidents and injuries. Additional training and machine maintenance are also important factors which can reduce accident levels.

What Is Statutory Sick Pay?

Written by

Statutory sick pay is the basic sick pay entitlement. It is what the government states have to be paid each week by law by an employer to someone who is too ill to be able to work. If you are unwell, then you will be entitled to receive the £85.85 a week at the moment, assuming that you are in full time employment.

The amount of sick pay may seem very low. However, it is important to realize that while you are not doing your job, your employer may need to be paying someone else to be doing it for you. This will cost them money and so they may not be able to afford to pay two salaries at once. This tends to be the reason why smaller companies are less likely to pay a higher amount of sick pay than the statutory level.

The £85.85 is a minimum level though and many companies will pay more than that. It will depend on the size of the company and they have no obligation to pay you any more money than the statutory sick pay level. Many companies will pay the normal salary amount, at least for a certain time period.

Your employment contract will have details of your sick pay entitlement. You will probably find that if you are on long term sick then you will receive less money after a time period. This might be a few months or it might be longer, it will change between employers. However, you will normally start off by having a larger payment and it may be reduced in stages until it reaches the statutory sick pay level.

The details of how this works might be on the company website. It may also be in your employment contract, if you have a copy. It is useful to find out how much money you can get, if you think that you may be on long term sick at some point. You may find that it will be very little money and you may have trouble coping and may to ask for help. You may be okay though and be able to get enough money to keep you going while you recuperate.

It is important to also note the terms of being paid. You will need to be able to produce a doctor’s certificate to prove that you are unwell. If you cannot do this then you will not be entitled to any money at all. There may be a time limit on producing the document and a specific person that it needs to be given to.

It is wise to keep a copy of the document, especially if you decide to post it, just to be sure. No company will want to not pay you money you are entitled to, but if they do not have the relevant documents, payroll will not be able to process the payments.

You should still get paid on your usual payday. If you are unsure about the same then the human resources department should be able to tell you. They should also be able to explain the terms of your employment contract so that you know how much you are entitled to and for how long. If you do not have a copy of your employment contract, they should be able to send you one, if you want to check the details for yourself.

The amount of sick pay may seem very low. However, it is important to realize that while you are not doing your job, your employer may need to be paying someone else to be doing it for you. This will cost them money and so they may not be able to afford to pay two salaries at once. This tends to be the reason why smaller companies are less likely to pay a higher amount of sick pay than the statutory level.

Guest Post Author:

Chris is a Payroll specialist in a MNC. He provides information and advice on Statutory Sick Pay and Claiming SSP.

Mobile Web Design Tips For Legal Websites

Written by

Ever wanted to design a mobile web site for a law firm?

Prospective clients won’t always be on their computers when they look up or try and access your practice’s website. As such, you want your firm’s mobile website to be optimized to cater to all users. There are a number of reasons someone may try and read about your firm on their phone, whether they’re on the go or in some kind of trouble, and you want your site to be ready to give them the information they’re looking for. We’ve put together a list of seven ways you can better adapt your site for mobile users.

Compress JS & CSS Files

An extra Javascript library or other elements that webmasters might use can be detrimental for latency, download, and processing time when it comes to a mobile device. Extra JS or CSS files add to this time. Using free online compressors can reduce this time and make access to your mobile site more efficient as a result.

Visibility

There’s no way of predicting where a user will be when they access your site. Wherever it is, your site needs to be adapted for optimal visibility regardless of a user’s viewing conditions. The reader may be in darkness or outside when it’s sunny and bright. The best way to deal with this uncertainty is stark contrast between background color and text. This will improve the readability of your content despite a user’s surroundings.

Get in Your Visitors’ Shoes

When your visitors come and access your site, they may not be interested in a page that tells them only about the practice. Consider what you want to immediately see when you visit an attorney’s mobile site? A good example is the case of a restaurant. You want to see their menu, hours, location, and contact info for reservations. In the case of your practice, potential clients will want to see your practice’s location, contact information for a consultation, or type of law your firm practices. Users shouldn’t have to navigate to other pages to find essential information. Forcing them to do so only increases their likelihood in growing frustrated and simply leaving your site.

Simplify

In contrast to your original website, your mobile site will be far more minimalist. This means cutting images or other graphic elements, as well as removing all non-essential text to optimize the site for mobile users. Text shouldn’t be in large blocks, but instead it can be broken up over separate pages (if not completely removed).  Scrolling should be limited to one direction, either vertical or horizontal. However, try and avoid scrolling if at all possible. Users aren’t always aware that they can scrolling up and down or side to side, and may miss important content as a result.

Consider Sprites

Not everyone is on the newest 4G LTE network. Plenty of potential clients may be on a 3G, or even a 2G connection, so consider the bandwidth users may have upon entering your mobile site. Sprites can help your site become more accessible to mobiles with slower connections. All they do is turn several images into one large image for a phone to load. You can find sites that help in creating sprites for free, such as SpriteMe.

Standard Website Option

Some users may just want to visit your standard website for access to additional content. You can provide a link at the foot or top of the page with the option of doing so. Certain devices are effective on loading a full site, especially if they are on wifi. As such you should keep the option available to users.

Avoid New Windows

Having popup ads or pages that require opening in a new window can slow down a user’s browsing experience. Popup advertisements are self-explanatory in terms of interference, as they can be annoying even when browsing on your computer. As for new pages, if it is absolutely necessary that something needs to open on a new window then let the user know it will.

Guest Post Author:

Blair Carroll is a lawyer at Carroll Troberman Criminal Defense in Austin, Texas. The legal team at Carroll Troberman defends against a broad range of criminal charges ranging from drug possession to DWI defense, with attorney Blair Carroll as a member of the prestigious National College for DUI Defense.