Monthly Archives: December 2016
Yefri Sorto-Hernandez Escaping Bullies in El Salvador; Escaping Unreasonable Bails in North Carolina
Two years ago, Yefri Sorto-Hernandez thought fleeing for his life was a smart decision. The gang violence in El Salvador was too much and prolonging his stay would be a death sentence. So, he made the decision to save his life and move.
Two years later, Sorto-Hernandez re-evaluated his decision as he faced an immigration raid and a $30,000 bail bond payment.
Yefri-Sorto’s Immigration Case
On December 2015, Sorto-Hernandez was about to attend school in Charlotte, North Carolina when U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers picked him up for deportation proceedings. He was detained at Lumpkin Detention Center for nearly six months, helplessly seeking help from family and friends and hoping to go back to school.
A supposed ray of hope was shed when he received word about bail on January 2016. But when the courts informed Sorto-Hernandez that he needed to pay a $30,000 bond to be released from detention, everyone was struck.
Apart from family, friends, and other loved ones, communities questioned the fairness of the set bail. For Sorto-Hernandez’s low-income family, paying the $30,000 bail was impossible. Julie Yihong Mao, an Enforcement Fellow from the National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, told local organization ThinkProgress, “High bond effectively means no bond particularly for low-income communities. Yefri has already been detained for more than 6 months, with this high bond amount, he faces the scary prospect of a long indefinite incarceration.”
The Thing About High Bail Prices
Bail bonds in Raleigh, NC consider different factors before determining the appropriate bail amount. The nature of the crime, likelihood to appear in court, and the individual’s criminal history play vital roles in setting the bail amount.
In terms of immigration cases, authorities usually set the bond prices based on the likelihood of an immigrant to be a flight risk or a threat to public safety. If the individual has been deported previously, their case calls for a higher bail.
Sorto-Hernandez, however, did not fit any of the categories.
Expensive bail bond prices used to be a rare occurrence reserved for individuals with long criminal histories. Today, unfortunately, it has become a common issue for detained border crossers, despite not having criminal records. Some officials argue that setting the bail price at a high amount is necessary in discouraging border crossers from journeying to the United States.
Not everyone is capable of paying $30,000 to get their loved ones out of prison. Fortunately, there are other means of help.
How Families Can Cope
Hiring the help of a bail bondsman is one of the choices for low-income families with loved ones in prison. When a family member is incarcerated, coming up with the money to bail them out within a short-period of time is impossible. The bail bondsman can cover for most of the costs firsts. They will take responsibility for the rest of the charge, asking clients to pay for 10%, usually.
If the defendant, however, fails to show up for the court date, they must pay the full amount (plus other interests) to the bail bondsman.
In Sorto-Hernandez’s case, they resolved to group funding to raise the money needed for his $30,000 case. Because of his strong community support, his family created a GoFundMe site for supporters to donate money. Their efforts paid off and he was eventually released on bail last June 2016.
While Sorto-Hernandez had a peaceful cap off his turbulent immigration case, there are more like him. Immigration supporters and activists can only hope that the future is better for kids in a similar situation.
Pallet Racking: Safety Standards to Know
How are products and materials stored by businesses and companies? Racking systems are storage aids made out of steel or another metal. They also help in maximising storage space as well as in organising materials and products. You probably know all this already. You may already be using racking systems such as pallet racking.
Safety Hazard
Due to the large volume of storage such as racking systems store, racking systems pose a safety hazard. Faulty or flimsy pallet racks may topple over in an accident, and people in proximity may be crushed under the toppling racks. To ensure the safety of all personnel, regulatory standards are followed.
Personal Knowledge
Pallet racking suppliers, such as Modularstorage.com.au, always assure customers that what they offer adheres to the following regulatory standards. It may be good for you to know what these standards are, though. With your knowledge of safety standards, you may be able to better ensure the safety of your pallet racks.
AS 4084-2012
The first standard is the Australian Standard 4084-2012 Steel Storage Racking. This particular standard covers adjustable and static pallet racking. Such racking includes Selective Pallet Racking, Double Deep Selective Pallet Racking, and Narrow Aisle Selective Pallet Racking. The standard specifies the minimum requirements in pallet racking like design, test methods, maintenance, operation, and fabrication and erection techniques.
AS/NZS 4600: 2005
The other standard is the Australian and New Zealand Standard 4600: 2005 Cold-Formed Steel Structures. The AS/NZS 4600: 2005 establishes the specifications designers and racking manufacturers have to follow in producing racking systems. Although this standard is more applicable to the supplier side, you can still use the standard to make sure that, if you happen to be choosing a supplier, the supplier is following safety standards.
AS 1657-2013
The last standard is Australian Standard 1657-2013 Fixed Platforms, Walkways, Stairways, and Ladders. Basically, the standard sets down the specifications for the design of fixed platforms and other climbing instruments used by personnel for a racking system.
Knowing these standards, you can promote safety and security within your storage facility. You can demand your suppliers as well to adhere to such standards.
3 Money-Saving Office Remodeling Tricks You Should Try
Are you planning to remodel your office soon? While it is often associated with spending hundreds of dollars, remodeling doesn’t have to be expensive. As a matter of fact, here are the some of the thrifty ways you can give your office a fresh look:
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Make One Spectacular Change
You don’t have put down all the walls and replace all the floors just to create a refreshed office design. Instead, you can focus on a single corner of the office and make a spectacular change on it. Try redesigning the pantry or putting up a large artwork on the farthest corner of your open-office. For sure, you’ll wow your staff with this one big, inexpensive change in the office.
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Purchase Second-Hand Office Furniture
Whether you’re redesigning your lobby or cubicles, you’ll likely need a new set of furniture. However, new furniture does not necessarily have to be new per se. You can go to Quality Used Office Furniture and other second-hand furniture suppliers in Utah and look for used office furniture that can change the present vibe of your workplace.
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Add Plants
Several studies say that the presence of plants in the office can boost workplace productivity. For one, plants can improve the air quality in your office, keeping your staff healthy. In addition, seeing a glimpse of nature while contained in an office setting can reduce the stress of your workers. So, consider buying a few low-maintenance plants and place them every corner of your office.
Apart from these thrifty office remodeling tricks, you can simply do a general cleaning in the office and you’ll definitely have a noticeable change in the place. If you think about it, organizing cables, cleaning desks, and scrubbing the floors won’t cost you that much. So, why not start at cleaning in your office? From there, just add a few changes and you’ll surely have a refreshed office look.
Simple Ways to Prevent Losing Your Possessions to Thieves
The FBI has released information on crimes perpetrated within the United States in 2015. $12,420,364,454.00 – that is the total value of reported stolen property, including money, jewelry, electronics, firearms and vehicles.
Although the statistics show a decline in property crime (and an increase in violent crimes), that is no reason to ignore your security at home. Here are some suggestions on how to avoid losing your possessions and vehicles.
Lock your Doors
That goes for both your home and your vehicle. It’s the simplest thing, yet a lot of people ignore the simplicity of locking before leaving. If your car or home has a door with a broken lock, call someone to fix or replace it right away. Pay for new Chicago garage doors. It’s not just your car that you’re protecting when you have a trusty door in your garage; it’s also your tools and everything else in your garage. Many burglars enter homes through the garage because the door leading from there to the house is usually left unlocked. Be more vigilant; lock your car whenever you leave it, even after closing your fence gate or the door to the garage. Lock it when you’re inside too. Always check if your doors and windows at home are locked before leaving the house or retiring to bed at night.
Fence your Property
It’s not a foolproof solution, but if you install a fence around your property thieves are more likely to move on to the next, less-protected house. A better option is a perimeter fence with sensors, alarms, and cameras.
Be Friendly with Neighbors
Be a good neighbor. If you are, they are more likely to call you or the police if they notice something suspicious at your place when you’re not at home.
Get a Dog
Dogs may not be able to stop a dedicated thief, but they do make a racket when they see the intruders. A trained guard dog will ignore distractions like meat thrown at it by a burglar.
Keep your Possessions Inside the House
It’s common for an opportunistic thief to stop and steal a bike if it’s lying on the grass, unguarded. Keep it in a garage and close the door. Anything that can tempt someone to steal from you should be kept away from prying eyes.
Don’t Post your Holiday Photos on Social Media
Or at least wait until you’re back home before posting them. If a thief has been watching, observing, and making plans, your family photos in the Bahamas are like an invitation to check out your empty house.
There are many other ways to make sure you are protected from crooks. Get in touch with your neighborhood watch and volunteer, and learn more about protecting your property.
Veins and Blood Flow: Preventing Venous Diseases
Like an engine, your body should be well fueled in order for it to function properly. While your car engine needs proper flowing of gasoline, your body needs a different kind of gasoline in the form of blood. However, if your blood flow encounters setbacks in its movements throughout your body, complications, most commonly in the veins, would arise. These complications can lead to various types of venous diseases.
Here are ways to prevent complications from happening and how to treat early stages of it.
Ways to prevent venous diseases
- Continuous mobility
Regular body movement to ensure blood circulation is needed. Avoid sitting or standing for long periods of time. If truly unavoidable, regular stretching, flexing and extending your legs should be done.
- Regular exercise
Stretching is not enough. Diet and regular exercise are also needed to ensure proper blood flow. Walking, running and swimming are among the common exercises doctors recommend its patients.
- Compression stockings
A specialized type of stockings where the ankles are tighter than on the legs. Wearing compression stockings can help prevent blood from pooling in the ankle to prevent swelling and pain.
- Watch your weight
Too much pressure to one’s legs due to one’s weight is also among the major causes of venous diseases. Losing weight when you have symptoms of venous diseases can be an effective way of prevention.
- Elevate your legs
Increase your blood flowing by keeping it elevated daily, especially after strenuous activities. Keeping your legs above your heart for a couple of minutes can improve proper blood circulation all throughout your body.
These tips can help prevent venous diseases. However, if you have more complicated types of conditions like May-Thurner Syndrome, then proper medical treatment like stenting, and sclerotherapy for other venous conditions, should be considered. Always seek professional medical help if you feel any discomfort in your body.
The Crucial Steps You Need to Follow to Keep Your Roof in Good Condition
As years pass by, the roof of your house takes a beating from the weather as it withstands the scorching sun, devastating storms, as well as falling snow and ice. The constant assault on you roof by these elements can lower its longevity and make your house vulnerable. As such, you should take precautions to keep your roof in excellent condition and to ensure that it holds against such onslaught.
Get the attic ventilation right
It sounds surprising, but poor ventilation in the attic poses a significant threat to the integrity of the roof. During the hot blistering summer, the temperature in an attic with poor airflow can reach 160 degrees. The superheated air penetrates the attic insulation, damaging your paint in addition to increasing the temperature in the house.
Similarly, the hot air heats the roofing materials from below and causes premature ageing. The heat causes the rafter to warp and crack, which further weakens the roofing structure. During winter, excess moisture builds up in an inadequately ventilated attic, which could cause your metallic roof to rust and the rafters to rot.
Clean out the debris
Complicated roofing designs or low-lying houses surrounded by tall trees often accumulate piles of leaves in the roof valleys or near the chimneys. The accumulation of leaves traps moisture speeding up the process of decomposition. After some time, the rooting organic matter could encourage the growth of weeds.
Rather than wait for the problem to get worse, you can retain the services of a roof maintenance company in Auckland and keep the roof in excellent condition. They offer professional cleaning services to improve your home’s curb appeal, from clearing mould to replacing parts to extend its lifespan. Darker roofs absorb more heat from the sun, which keep the house warmer than usual. As a result, you spend more money on keeping the house cool during summer.
While it takes a little bit of effort and care to keep your roof in excellent condition, it is a worthwhile endeavour. With proper care, your roof lasts longer and requires little in the way of maintenance.
Learn from Peers: Utilizing Business Competitor Information
The ideal business for many is to be on top of the world with no competitors to threaten their comfortable perch. However, there are several benefits to having a healthy competition in the business world. Do consider the following in case someone new or old comes up to challenge your place in the corporate world:
They Know their Crowd
A successful competitor deals with an audience that they know. Without a solid knowledge of the market, the buyers, and the dominant trends, any endeavor will fail to progress. Find out who your competitor talks to and what information they have that’s to their advantage. They’re also adaptable with the policies, especially when months or years of development have proven that change is necessary and more profitable once adjustments are done.
They’ve Come from Different Backgrounds
A thriving company offers diversity as one of their best traits. It’s not an easy task to find people with contradictory opinions willing to work with you. It’s even harder taking their criticism and advice because of the same virtues. Bringing in critical-minded people, especially those who ask the right questions and produce results, is definitely a wise and lucrative business decision.
They Adjust
It’s difficult enough for a company to sell a product at any given price. It’s even harder to sell it according to the fluctuating market, which means you may increase or decrease prices after one or two quarters. PriceManager recommends keeping track of your competition and your own changing rates with a price tracking tool to avoid losing potential purchases and profit.
Any company, struggling or flourishing, can learn a lot from its peers. This is true, especially if they are successfully outrunning everyone else. If you have the opportunity to gain information about your competition in a healthy and non-invasive manner, then take advantage of it. With so many businesses trying to outdo each other, do pioneer the act of paying attention first before being competitive.
Rural Businesses need Fast, Reliable Internet Connections Too
For some people, living, working and running a business in a rural area is an ideal situation. The countryside offers tranquillity and beauty far removed from the hustle and bustle of the city. Unfortunately, a poor or non-existent internet connection often offsets these benefits — which is bad for business. According to SingTel Satellite, in fact, to remain on top of the competition, as well as to maintain production, on-site efficiency, and increased security, rural business owners should make sure that they have access to high speed and reliable communications.
As of the moment, unfortunately, urban and highly populated areas have been the focus of commercial investment. This concentration on specific areas are alienating the more rural and hard-to-reach areas of the world.
Why is a Fast Internet Connection Important?
A high-speed internet connection enables rural businesses to expand their reach far beyond their geographic base. Furthermore, it tears down communication barriers related to time and distance. The availability of high-speed internet connection can result to the development of a whole economy and country.
Challenges and Barriers to Providing Rural Broadband
There are the two main challenges to providing broadband to the countryside. The first has to do with the remoteness of a location: establishment of a reliable internet connection is difficult to implement when the area is mountainous or island-based. This brings us to the second issue: prohibitive costs. When a location is very remote, the equipment and labour needed to establish a site far outweighs the potential for Return On Investment (ROI). Even if the government subsidises the expansion of rural broadband networks, the budget allocated for each area may not always be sufficient to cover all the costs involved.
A Possible Solution
A good strategy is to build a fixed wireless (microwave) network that can offer super fast broadband connections to areas that have poor broadband facilities or to areas that cannot receive internet access due to its remote location and financial constraints. It is a good alternative to a fibre connection as there will always be areas that cannot and will not receive broadband through fibre.
The geographical location of a business need not be a hindrance to fast, reliable internet connection. Technology, specifically the power of wireless networks, now makes it possible to have good fast internet connection speeds regardless of the business location.
Planning Ahead: The Role of Estate Planning Attorneys
As Benjamin Franklin said, the only things certain in life are taxes and death. You can certainly make the most out of your life by being prepared to face the reality of taxes, as well as death, with the help of an estate planning attorney.
What is an estate planning attorney?
An estate planning attorney is a type of lawyer that specializes in helping clients put their affairs in order in preparation for illness and death. They work beyond last wills and testaments. Estate planning attorneys in Denver are experienced in drafting living trusts, helps you in managing your taxes, and protect your savings and assets from creditors after your demise.
Because of the personal nature of their work, estate planning attorneys are known for asking personal questions you might find uncomfortable to answer.
Questions to expect from your estate planning attorney
- Who will raise your children if you and your spouse die?
Lawyers ask this question to help prepare for your children’s future. Assigning guardians, if unfortunate events happen, is better than entrusting the future of your children in the hands of a judge who barely even knows your family.
- Do you have other relationships? Descendants you didn’t mention?
You might be a picture of a happy family, but lawyers have seen way too many cases of mistresses and children taking claim over a dead man’s property. It is not a comfortable thing to talk about but it is something your lawyer should know.
- When do you want to pull the plug?
A health care provider would be able to help you in making such decision. Having an answer to this question can help your family members if the day comes.
No one will ever be fully prepared to leave this earth and your loved ones. But planning ahead can definitely help your loved ones cope with the indefinite future.
A Clean Environment: The Advantages of Maintaining the Office
In an office environment, it is sometimes normal to see papers everywhere with the occasional litter on the floor. While this may have worked for some, it certainly presents an untidy behavior that can affect not only your performance, but your personality as well.
According to Forbes.com, more than 50% of Americans admit passing adverse judgment to coworkers who have messy workspaces. Needless to say, an unkempt workplace presents an image of misdirection and can even increase the time needed to perform a simple task. So what can you get from a clean office?
The Many Benefits of a Clean Office
Did you know that keeping your office tidy and organized could increase your productivity and help perform your tasks more efficiently? It is true. Having an organized office helps you do things much faster and easier. Start your day by organizing everything, keeping those things you always need at arm’s length. Doing so would spare you a fraction of a second wondering where you placed those meeting notes or sign pens. Aside from the ease, you also get to work comfortably and with less stress at the end of the day.
Use Functional Furniture
In many offices, you will find many things that do not even belong there. For instance, why would you place a Christmas tree beside or on top of your desk? While you can always say because it is Christmas, you can place your tree somewhere else. Instead, New Life Office recommends surrounding yourself with functional office furniture.
Trash Bins Have Reasons to Exist
While your office furniture is designed to serve several purposes, without a doubt functioning as a trash can is not one of them. For example, every drawer and cabinet in your desk is made to hold papers, pens, calculators, paper clips, and even the occasional phone. Avoid making empty drawers as a repository for your crumpled paper, even if you intend to do it on a temporary basis. Have a trash bin readily accessible from where you sit and throw all your crumpled paper there.
Closing Time
At the end of the day, clear all clutter and arrange them neatly on your desk or cabinet. Take out the trash bag out of your bin and replace with a new one. You can leave the trash bag in a designated pickup place or you can bring it outside to throw in a regular trash receptacle.
Keeping an office tidy and organized may not be an easy task to do on a routine schedule, but it is possible. Why not try it now and see the result.
