How Can You Tell When the News Media Is Full Of Beans – When Reporters Interview Each Other

Do you remember the Debt Crisis and Government Shut Down of October 2013? Well, there was a lot in the media about all that. In fact, they ran it as the leading story night after night on all the news stations. CNN was one of the main commotion creators. Interestingly enough, rather than interviewing anyone of substance, more often than not, they interviewed themselves, or the other non-anchored or anchored reporters of other parts of the news. Why? Well, because they needed to fill up all that 24/7 air time, and since no one was talking to them, they just talked to themselves? Okay so, let’s talk about this shall we?

First, let’s not pick only on CNN, as they are only one of many TV news providers. Indeed, all the cable TV news was doing essentially the same thing, but I ask, is this really news? Or is it opinion. A similar strategy that week I noted on NBC and it was even more hilarious mostly due to the socialist-liberal-Democrat slant. And don’t get me wrong, the right-leaning news, FOX for instance, occasionally does the same thing – albeit without all the hardcore political correctness, so no one is in the clear on this – but why I ask?

Well, it’s hard to say except that after they are done force feeding everyone their opinions, then they have the audacity to take a pole and ask everyone what they think, you know the listeners, who at that point are pointlessly brain-washed, but in doing the surveys on Twitter, or on a website, everyone is able to stay on their side of the political divide, very comfortably I might add, reinforcing their views – the views and opinions repeated over and over by very nice looking and articulate reporters, even if those reporters have no real clue as to what’s going on.

Indeed, if those reporters had actual interviews they might know and have more insight, but then they’d have to adjust their opinion – oh my – you mean actually report the real news and not just opinion? At some point those who might be interviewed are tired of the distorted news, and simply refuse the request or in this case of the government shut down, they are busy actually working on the problem, rather than splathering their opinions on the TV cable news.

So, remember, shut off the TV if the Cable news channel starts interviewing its own reporters, don’t waste your brain space, it’s all just sound and fury, and although often addicting, don’t you really have better things to do? Think for yourself, don’t adopt the cable TV news opinion, you are better than that.

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Do You Know Your Rights When It Comes to Your Contract of Employment?

Would you know your rights at work if you suddenly found yourself in the throws of redundancy proceedings, discovered you were pregnant or quite simply thought you were working too many hours or travelling more than you thought you should be?There have been some big changes to Employment Law this year, which every employee should be aware of, in order to know their statutory rights at workRecent legal changes include:
phasing out of the default retirement age of 65
abolition of the statutory retirement procedure
an increase to statutory maternity, paternity and adoption pay
additional paternity leave
In these times of economic instability it is a good idea to review or at least be aware of the terms and conditions of your employment contract, so that you are prepared for any eventuality.Julie Edmonds, employment litigator outlines the key issues and the pitfalls to look out for:WHAT SHOULD AN EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT INCLUDE?1. It is important to have a contract of employment so that you know on what basis you are working for your Employer/Company. If you have a contract it will be clear whether you are employed, a worker or self-employed. This is important when it comes to knowing your rights and what you are entitled to.
employee (you are entitled to statutory maternity, paternity and adoption leave, right to claim unfair dismissal after 1 years service, statutory redundancy pay
workers tend to be contract or agency based and subject to certain criteria, workers are entitled to things such as national minimum wage, right not to have deductions made from wage, Statutory Sick Pay, rests and paid holiday under working time regulations
self employed – you will not have a contract and will not have employment rights as such as you provide a service for a fee in your own right. You are more likely to have a contract to provide services or a contract for services
2. Ideally you should always request and/or be given a written contract of employment if you are an employee. If it is not in writing however it will be created by conduct over time. You are entitled to be given a written contract in the first 2 months of employment after you have been employed for 1 month. So if you don’t have anything in writing after this time – don’t be afraid to ask for it. Having a contract in writing makes disputes with Employers less likely as it is clear from the start what both parties intend and agree to.3. All contracts of employment have an implied term of mutual trust and confidence. This implies respect on both sides of the relationship and means that neither you nor your employer can act completely unreasonably. The ‘terms’ are the legal part of the contract.4. Ideally the contract will be in writing so the terms are clear but they do not need to be written down to be terms. You must understand what is on your contract and what you are agreeing to at the start so you know what rights and obligations there are on both sides.5. The principal statement of written employment particulars should include: name and employers name, job title, start date, if employment is not permanent, how long the contract is expected to last for, pay rate and details of pay day, hours of work, holiday entitlement, place of work, sick pay, notice periods, information re disciplinary and grievance procedures – which can refer to an employee handbook for full details so long as this is kept updated and pensionsKEY AREAS TO LOOK OUT FOR:
is your employer going to pay you per hour worked or an annual salary
how many hours per week is your employer expecting you to work?
Is there a right to paid overtime or is this covered by the annual salary?
Is your place of work a set location or is there a mobility clause in your
Are you entitled to full pay if you are off sick and if so for how long?
Holidays – are you entitled to carry over holiday from one year to the
Are there any restrictions in the contract that you will continue to be
Check out any confidentiality clauses
Finally, look out for flexibility clauses, especially those that are vaguely worded. Flexibility may be in relation to shift patterns or mobility clauses that can change your place of work. However, a flexibility clause that is too wide and just says that the employer can change your terms from time to time cannot be used to bring in completely unreasonable clauses.All these aspects of a contract should be considered and understood so that you are in the best position should you get into any kind of dispute with your employer.

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Hurricane Health and Fitness Breaks in Work Out Schedule and What You Can do About It

If you work out every single day and you have a workout schedule then a massive hurricane or catastrophic storm, which is coming your way can cause a catastrophic problem in your weight loss program. For those of us that workout a lot we know that every day if we don’t workout we go a day backwards and that is not a good day.One thing you can do is to learn more about isometric exercises and other ways that you can work even if the local gym is closed and the power is out for weeks on end. This way as long as you have proper water and food you can continue your workout at home with push-ups, sit-ups and pull-ups around your house and stay fit.Sure, it is not the same as being at the gym however, you can maintain your health and exercise schedule if you’ll pay attention to exercise principles, which you can find in exercise books. There is no reason to sacrifice your health just because mother nature has washed out your city and destroyed your town.You should buy a fitness book on isometric and cardiovascular exercises you can do at home without gym equipment if you do not have the gym equipment at your house. It is an important consideration and your body needs to continue to workout if you are to continue to keep the weight off and stay healthy. This will also let you relieve stress from such catastrophic events in your life. Please consider this in 2006.

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