With Your Family in Mind

Marshall Brain, educator/writer and founder of www.howstuffworks.com, when describing how electric power grids work, explained: “Power is a little bit like the air you breathe; you don’t really think about it until it is missing.  Power is just ‘there,’ meeting your every need, constantly.  It is only during a power failure… that you realize how important power is in your daily life.”

The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers always send me great questions about the voiceover business.  Last month, a voice actor asked about ISDN.Q: I need to know some basic info about doing an ISDN session. –Bob J., Los Angeles, CaliforniaHere’s part two of my answer:A: An ISDN session is where...

Summer’s over, fall is here, and the holiday season that starts with Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then moves to Chanukah and Christmas unfold.  For some children who are not able to share the holidays with their parents, it is a critical time with intense emotions.  What may appear to be a pleasant situation can suddenly turn into something painful and sad.  Holidays remind certain children that they are not as lucky as other children who have forever families.

We would like to introduce you to the Center for Cooperative Divorce.  The co-founders, Dana Schutz, a family therapist, and Irving Zaroff, an attorney and family therapist, have been working with families dealing with the difficulties of divorce for the past 15 years.  What became apparent in this work was the impact of the divorce process itself.  Litigation is an adversarial process and often triggers hostile and damaging responses to an already fragile system.

One of the greatest fears of elderly Americans is that they may require nursing home care.  This not only means a great loss of personal autonomy, but also a tremendous financial price. Depending on location and level of care, nursing homes cost between $45,000 and $160,000 per year.
Most people end up paying for nursing home care out of their savings until they run out.  Then they can qualify for Medi-Cal to pick up the cost. However, with careful planning, whether in advance or in response to an unanticipated need for care, you can protect your estate for your spouse or children.

In this day and age, when we want so many things right here and right now, it can be easy to sit down and compose a list of all of the things that we deem to be wrong in our lives.  It can be easy to get caught in a cycle of never being happy or never being satisfied.  Despite having a home, too often irritation sets in because the home is all of a sudden not big enough, or not new enough, or perhaps not decorated enough. 

California law states that all employers are required to maintain workers’ compensation insurance.  Failure to do so makes a business vulnerable to penalties and fines.
When employees suffer injuries on the job, they usually file claims for workers’ compensation.  Once filed, employees receive payment in lieu of the wages they would have received.  In addition, employees are entitled to medical treatment at no cost to them.

Xanax has become one of the most prolific drugs in our society.  I complained once to a medical (ear) doctor about stress and she asked me if I would like a prescription for Xanax.  I told her as a medical doctor without any training in behavioral or emotional issues she was unqualified to recommend it let alone prescribe it.  The public does not seem to know the dangers of this drug.
It is prescribed to treat anxiety.  Anxiety is not a disorder anymore it is a symptom of modern living. 

On October 14, 2010, the Los Angeles Italian American Golf Club presented a check for $10,000 to the Michael Hoefflin Foundation for Children’s Cancer, to fund their work supporting pediatric cancer patients and their families.  The proceeds were raised though a golf tournament at the Valencia Country Club on August 23, 2010.  The check was presented by Club board members, Chris Angelo, Dan Ginnetti, Jack Impellizzeri and Rene Emeterio. 

When filing bankruptcy, debtors must list all their assets on the bankruptcy schedules to show the Trustee and the court that the assets they have are exempt (protected) and should not be liquidated by the Trustee to pay creditors.
One type of asset that debtors often do not mention are anticipated commissions or payments they expect to receive after the filing of the bankruptcy case, but which were earned prior to the filing.  Debtors are not always aware that assets that have not yet been received still count as assets that the Trustee can recover in a bankruptcy case.

While Medicare covers nursing home stays, exactly what it covers is complicated and in some cases it can be much more limited than people think.  If you or a loved one might need a stay in a nursing home, it is very smart to understand the rules ahead of time, so you can be prepared and not have an unpleasant surprise.
Medicare covers up to 100 days of “skilled nursing care” per illness.  However, in order for the care to be covered, the patient must enter a nursing home (or a Medicare-approved “skilled nursing facility”) within 30 days of a hospital stay, and the hospital stay must have lasted at least three days. 

Asset allocation* is an approach to investing and one of the most important decisions for your investment portfolio.  Asset allocation simply means spreading investments over a variety of different asset categories, such as equities, cash or cash alternative investments, bonds, real estate, foreign securities, and possibly even precious metals and collectibles.  This is also known as diversification.   

National adoption month in November is a time to recognize and thank adoptive families for their compassion while also raising awareness of the need for every child in America to have a safe, loving and permanent home.  With 129,000 children currently in foster care, Children’s Bureau is seeking caring families to consider adoption.  The agency is holding an informational meeting for those interested in learning more on Thursday night, November 18 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. at Six Flags Magic Mountain Administrative Office, 26101 Magic Mountain Parkway in Valencia.  Call 661-272-9996 to R.S.V.P. to receive directions and to have a drive on pass to the property.

“My name is Emily and in seven years, I will be an alcoholic.  I’ll start drinking in the eighth grade.  But my parents won’t really notice because I’ll do okay in school and everything will be okay.  But everything won’t be okay.  Kids who drink before the age of 15 are five times more likely to have alcohol problems when they are adults.”
“My name is Brandon and in nine years I will be an alcoholic.  I’ll start drinking with the older kids and whatever they do, I’ll do.  I know I will start with alcohol, but I’m not sure how it’s going to end.”

After working with dreams for more than 30 years, what continues to amaze me is that we dream at all.  For dreams show us—even as we sleep and regardless of their particular content—that we are creative beings.
No one knows why we dream.  Theories abound, but one thing is quite clear: Dreaming is essential for our survival and overall well-being.  Here are some interesting facts regarding dreams:

The holidays can be times of joyous celebration but often painful reminders of missing loved ones.  The prospect of the empty chair at mealtimes can evoke overwhelming sadness and loneliness.  Everything we touch, taste and smell may be reminders.
It’s normal and natural to miss someone and feel sad.  The tendency, however, is to avoid sad thoughts by burying the feelings or distracting ourselves, according to Jeff Zhorne, director of the Grief Program and a resident of Valencia.  We may wind up isolating at home because people get tired of hearing our stories.  “We turn down the blinds, throw in a DVD and order out,” said Zhorne.  “Or maybe we open the freezer and start a relationship with Haagen-Dazs.”

The flu is a contagious disease caused by the influenza virus, which spreads easily from person to person.  Flu symptoms can range from mild to severe, and can also lead to pneumonia.  The flu can be very dangerous to the elderly, so it is important to understand what you can do to keep yourself healthy.

Is settlement right for you?  A lot of you are probably asking yourselves what kind of question is that.  Settlement is best for everyone, isn’t it?  If everyone truly believed this, a lot of cases would settle a lot more quickly.  Everyone knows that most cases settle.  Perhaps the real question is this one: Is settlement right for you now?  Settlement negotiations can take place before a lawsuit is filed, while a lawsuit is pending, right before the start of trial, in the middle of trial, and even while an appeal is pending.  As I have written in other articles, cases settle when both parties really want to settle them.