When hiring employees for your coffee business, it is important to select individuals that will be able to contribute to your success. In reality, you will be dependent upon your employees to generate the profits you desire, and to provide you with the freedom of time to enjoy your life. Strive to hire reasonably mature, intelligent, dynamic, energetic people, who possess a positive attitude. You can always teach someone how to make coffee drinks or work a cash register, but it is next to impossible to teach them how to have a strong work ethic or a good personality!

First, it is important to identify the qualities that will be essential when considering someone for a particular employment position. For example, if you are looking for a cashier, realize that this will be the person who will have the first, and perhaps only interaction with your customers. In essence, they will be the “face” of your business. So, some important things to look for in an interview with candidates for this position are: Do they make eye contact? Are they pleasant? Do they smile? Do they like people? Are they articulate, do they converse well? How is their appearance? Do they put their attention on others before themselves?

What about if you are looking to hire a barista? Because this person will also be in view of, and have interaction with your customers, you certainly won’t want them to wear a “lemon face.” However, their sociability probably won’t be as important as their ability to make perfect drinks in rapid succession. Are they detail oriented? Do they have good eye-hand coordination? Are they quick thinkers, and do they have good mental retention? Are they neat and organized? Can they handle stress? These are the traits that will typically be necessary for someone to be a good barista.

So, before we discuss how you might go about determining if an employment candidate possesses the desirable characteristics you’re seeking, let’s talk about the hiring process in general. The first thing to do is to place an advertisement. “Craig’s List,” local employment websites, and the “help wanted” section of your local newspaper are probably the most viable places to advertise for potential employees.

Word your ad so that it appears to present an “opportunity,” as opposed to a plea for bodies! Consider titling your ad with something like, “Learn a New Culinary Art, Be an Espresso Professional,” or “Get into the Hottest Segment of Food Service, Learn the Specialty Coffee Business;” as opposed to, “Wanted – Cashiers.” This enhanced terminology should be appealing to the type of person who is looking for something new, different, or better; (instead of someone who is merely satisfied to work at a minimum wage fast food job).

Next, try to weed out the people that do not posses the desirable qualities you’re looking for, by writing an ad that will discourage them from applying in the first place. You can accomplish this by including in your ad all the characteristics you are seeking in the ideal candidate, such as: “must have an immaculate appearance, must love people, must be a perfectionist, must love work, must thrive under pressure.” If someone who is reading your ad finds some of these requirements to be intimidating, or undesirable, it may lead them to conclude that your job opportunity doesn’t sound very appealing. That’s Good! After all, why waste their time or yours if they are not going to be a good fit to what will be required to help you succeed?

Finally, I like to conclude my ad text by including an instruction like, “please call for an interview appointment between 3PM and 5PM on Friday, April 29th.” The reason for doing this is twofold. First, it will prevent interested persons from calling you during all hours of the day and night, for days or weeks to come. It will also allow you to dedicate a limited block of time to take phone calls, set up appointments, and conduct some preliminary screening. Most important, it provides a test to see if potential candidates can follow instructions. For example, if someone calls you at noon to make an interview appointment, you will immediately understand that they can’t follow instructions; (be sure get their name and make a note so you will remember this person when they show up for their interview).

When you set up your appointment sheet for your first day of interviews, allow only 5 minute increments between each candidate. I know this doesn’t sound like much time, but the only purpose of this first interview is to conduct some basic, preliminary screening to see if you desire to have a more in depth interview with each candidate.

My first experience in conducting a mass hiring was when I worked in the corporate restaurant industry many years ago. I’ll never forget when the the director of human resources from the corporate office came to help me with the employee hiring for a new store opening. He told me that this first interview’s purpose was to determine only one thing: “animal, mineral, or vegetable.” I thought this was a rather harsh and rude way of referring to potential employment candidates, until I experienced the mass of humanity that came for interviews over the following days. After all, if someone has a tattoo of a swastika on their forehead, a lime green Mohawk, a safety pin through their nose, and they reek of body odor, how much time do you really need to spend with that person?

When candidates come for this first interview, you would be wise to have a receptionist to greet them, and hand them an employment application to fill out. I give the receptionist the appointment sheet, and instruct them to write the letter “L” behind anyone’s name who arrives late (after their assigned appointment time). This will allow me to review the appointment sheet at the end of the day to see who didn’t arrive on time, and to make a note of it on their application. I also instruct the receptionist to keep a supply of ball point pens out of sight. If a candidate asks the receptionist for a pen after they have received their application, I instruct the receptionist to say: “yes, I think I have a pen, hand me your application, I want to make sure this pen writes,” then they scribble in the upper right hand corner of the application. When a candidate sits down in front of me, and I see there is a scribble on their application, I immediately know they didn’t bring a pen.

While many of these actions may seem petty or insignificant, in reality they can tell you a lot about a person. If they couldn’t show up on time for their first interview, and they were not prepared enough to bring a pen to fill out an application, will they show up on time and be prepared to work each day if you hire them? I think not.

During this first interview, I typically only ask each candidate the following questions:

1. Are you looking for full time or part time work?

2. Do you prefer to work days or evenings?

3. Does transportation to and from work present any challenges for you?

4. Do you participate in any outside activities that might conflict with a work schedule?

5. Are you at least 16 (18, 21) years old? (you may want employees to be at least 16 years old so as to not have to deal with work permits or evening scheduling restrictions, or if serving beer and wine, your servers may need to be at least 18 or 21 years of age)

(There are reasons I have worded each of the aforementioned questions in the way that I have, we will discuss those reasons later in this article.)

The sole purpose of this first interview is to meet each person face to face. How is their appearance, and cleanliness? Did you find the person to be articulate? Did they make eye contact, answer your questions? Do you like the person enough to bring them back for a second interview of 15 or 20 minutes?

At the end of the first interview I’ll usually say to the person: “I want you to understand these are strictly screening interviews, I won’t be doing any hiring today. I will be calling some people back for a second interview. Truthfully I have so many applicants that I probably won’t be able to call everyone back. Therefore, if I would like you to come in for the second interview, you will be hearing from me within the next 24 hours. But, I want to thank you for coming in, and it’s been a pleasure meeting you.” This will save you from the awkward task of having to call people back who you are not interested in, and having to explain why they didn’t qualify for a second interview.

Even if you are not at all interested in hiring a person, it’s important to treat them with respect. After all, he or she might be a potential customer in the future! So make sure you treat everyone with dignity, politeness and respect. Even if you’re mortified by how they looked, or what they said during the interview.

Now, if there are people you are immediately interested in, tell them so right then, and set up an appointment time for a second interview. You don’t want to let them leave without doing this, or you might risk losing them to someone else! As for the rest of the people you are interested in, call them back and set up an appointment for a 15 to 20 minute interview.

When you get to the second interview, be sure to review candidates’ applications in detail. If their employment history indicates that they have changed jobs often, spent short periods of time at each job, or had prolonged periods of unemployment between jobs, ask questions. “I see you have changed jobs often, and spent minimal time with each employer, explain to me what was going on here.” They might be able to give you a satisfactory explanation for this, like: “my father is in the military, and he kept getting transferred, so I had to quit when we moved, and then it took me a couple of months to get settled into our new community and my new school before I felt like I could get another job.” But, if they give you an answer similar to this: “well, my first boss was a real jerk, so I quit, and then at my next job they promised me full time work, but I never got more than 15 hours a week,” then ask them to explain why they didn’t like their fist boss, and if anyone else at their second job was also having problems getting the hours they wanted? Beware, often people who seem to constantly have challenges with their jobs (and life), never see themselves as part of the problem!

You’ll want to ask more in depth type questions at this second interview. Ask multiple part questions that require lengthy answers. Will they remember the multiple questions you’ve asked and provide you with answers to each, or will you have to keep prompting them by asking the questions again? You’d like to know that if you put a person behind your espresso machine, that they will be able to remember multiple orders.

It will be important for you to say little and listen carefully during this interview process! This is the time for employment candidates to convince you that they can be an asset to your business, not a time for you to promote all the reasons they should want to come to work for you. Your not recruiting, you’re interviewing. It’s important to be a good listener, so that you can identify whether or not you have a good potential employee in front of you. You would be wise to be more cognizant of things they say that send up your “red flags,” than to be impressed by the things they say that you like.

Here are a few of the typical questions that I like to ask during the second interview:

1. Tell me about the most hectic or traumatic situation you have ever faced at a job, what happened, how you got through it, and what you learned from it. (Do they have good mental retention, will they answer all the parts to the question? And, how traumatic were the situations they have had to face, and did they prevail?)

2. Tell me about the most demanding physical work you have ever had to do. (Has this person ever had to do any physically demanding work? Will they be able to endure standing on their feet and working at high speed for hours on end?)

3. A customer comes up to the counter and tells you the drink they just received is terrible, no manager is in the store, how would you handle this situation? (Do they use good common sense, and more important, will they try to satisfy the complaint and ultimately send away a happy customer?)

4. As a person, what would you say are your three greatest attributes or qualities, and then give me three areas in which you would like to make some self improvements? (Has this person given any thought as to what their positive attributes and shortcomings are? Also, what might their self-admitted shortcomings reveal, i.e. “I know I need to work on being on time, because I got fired from my last two jobs for being late.” )

5. Finally, if you are impressed with the person you are interviewing, and you are leaning towards hiring them, ask them to tell you exactly when they will be available to work, and write this information down on an employee schedule form. In this way you will be able to assess how they might fit into a weekly employee schedule. More important, by attempting to write a schedule at the end of the day’s interviewing, you will immediately understand if you have enough potential employees yet, or if you need to keep interviewing. You’ll need to hire enough employees to fill all the shifts that will be on your schedule, and then I suggest you hire at least a few more.

It is important to understand that of the new people you’ll hire, some won’t work out. Unbelievably, some won’t even show up to the first day of training. Undoubtedly, it will become apparent within the first week or two that a few others can’t grasp the fundamentals of the job, or just aren’t right for your business. Having a few extra employees hired will be important for maintaining a full staff, as these others quit or are let go. Remember, if you have shifts on your employee schedule, but no employees to fill them, guess who will end up having to work them? That’s right, you will. So, be sure to over hire!

It is during this second interview process that you might want to present some special challenges to your candidates that will be specific to their job. For example, an important quality for a cashier will be their ability to suggest items for your customers to purchase, and then to be able to make change accurately upon payment. So, have them role play by giving you the sales pitch they would use to inspire a customer to buy a pastry to go with their coffee. Also, set a cash register drawer in front of them stocked with change, hand them a $20 bill, and ask them to make change for a transaction costing $3.87. If you are considering someone to be your barista, take them behind your bar and provide a detailed explanation and demonstration of how to grind, dose, tamp, and extract a shot of espresso. Then see how well they can remember what you have just explained and demonstrated by having them do it. A few simple tests like this can reveal a lot about a person’s ability to learn quickly, and handle stressful situations.

At the end of the second interview, once again, I tell them it’s been a pleasure talking with them, and that I’d like to check out some of their references before I make a final decision. I’ll also let them know that I will be calling them in the next day or so to let them know if I’d like to put them to work.” If the person has made it to the 2nd interview, I always give them the courtesy of calling them back to tell them they weren’t hired, and why, but only if they ask. Be careful as to what you say about why you didn’t hire them. You certainly don’t want to say anything that will get you into trouble with the department of labor. You may not discriminate because of things like purple hair, nose rings, or having children. To play it safe, you might say: “I’m really sorry. It was a tough decision, you looked great, but I had other people that had more experience, or could work more flexible hours.”

These legal concerns are also the reason I’m careful in how I phrase interview questions. During my first interview, you may have noticed that I asked things like: “is transportation a challenge for you?” and not, “do you own a car?” You can’t discriminate against hiring someone just because they don’t own a car. I also asked: “are there any outside activities you are involved that might conflict with a work schedule,” and not, “do you have young children?” Don’t ask questions that might leave you vulnerable to being accused of discriminating against someone because they use public transportation, can’t work on Sunday because of church, or are over 70 years old! A well designed question that is not specific in details can still reveal the information you are looking for.

Getting references is a very important aspect to the hiring process. It’s like the old saying by President Reagan: “trust, but verify”. Even though someone looks great on paper and interviewed well, I always call a few previous employers to ask for a reference. Some will be very forthcoming with that information, and others, especially if they work for a major corporation, may have been told not to answer any questions for fear of being sued for statements made. You may have to get creative to get anything out of a previous employer. One way might be to say to them, “I’m not going to ask you anything about their performance, but if you had the opportunity, would you rehire this person today?” Many times they will answer a simple yes or no. If they say no, it’s usually a pretty good indication that you probably don’t want to hire that person either!

I like to do a multiple interview process with people. Usually I will interview a person twice, and possibly three times. The reason for this is that anyone can come to one interview and give it their all. They will be on time, dress well, be well groomed, and give a great effort to impress me. My question is, will they do it a second and a third time?

If you are really unsure of a person, or you have many applicants, you may want to bring them back for even a third interview. This is especially true if you have a person that seems extremely confident, forceful, or has a powerful personality. I like to see if I can push their buttons a little bit. Sometimes a person may seem great on their first and second interviews, but when I tell them I’d like a third interview, they develop an attitude and become upset at being asked to come back again. This immediately tells me something about this person’s level of tolerance. If this person doesn’t get things exactly as he or she expects or wants, are they going to have an attitude problem? This is another reason why you might bring someone back several times.

Now, up to this point I have been discussing the procedure you would follow to do a mass hiring; an entire staff just prior to opening a store. However, after you have opened for business, the need for hiring additional employees will continue. Employees who were once assets can develop into problems, and some will leave you because they’ve graduated from school, are moving out of the area, or found a different job. When hiring to replace an existing employee, the process will once again start with advertising, and then the reapplication of the interviewing and hiring procedures.

One way to minimize the anxiety and work when hiring additional employees when they are needed, is to always be on the look out for potentially good new employees. Like with any sports team, having qualified backup players is essential. The more talent a team has on hand, the better! Depth on their roster insures the team’s ability to perform at a high level, even if one or two primary player are lost. You would be wise to develop that same type of depth with your employee roster.

My suggestion is to always be on the look out for a good new recruit. As you travel through your daily life, take note of those exceptional people who seem to possess wonderful personalities, strong work ethics, and are service oriented. Whenever you experience an exceptional person, whether it is the clerk at the convenience store, the waitress you had last Saturday night when you went out to dinner, or someone who helped you at the home improvement emporium, ask yourself, would I like to have that person working for me? Would my operation benefit from this person? If the answer is yes, “plant a seed.”

Now, I don’t blatantly ask someone if they would like to come to work for me, after all, they are already employed. I wouldn’t want someone coming into my business and asking my employees if they would like to go to work for them. So rather than asking them if they would be interested in working for me, I’ll say something like the following upon the conclusion of our interaction: “I want to thank you very much for all your help, and tell you honestly, that you are an exceptional employee! Great employees are a rare these days, and believe me, I know because I own a business. You employer is very luck to have you, and I’m sure they are very appreciative of everything you do. But, if you ever find yourself in need of job, or looking for something else, call me, I’d be very interested in talking to you.” I hand them my business card as I am making this final statement.

When I have actively recruited dynamic individuals in the past, I can truthfully tell you that in about 50% of cases, these people have given me a call within a week. Upon interviewing those, half ended coming to work for me. Too often employers don’t recognize those employees who are doing an exceptional job for them, and their supreme efforts become expected, instead of appreciate. In many cases they are not compensated with any extra income or accolades for their hard work. If this is the case, these great employees can become disgruntled. Being the person who recognizes their worth, and complements them on their performance, can inspire them to want to join your team!

The advantage to recruiting is that your become interested in a person based upon seeing them actually work. They don’t know that you are watching them in consideration for an employment position. This means their dynamic performance is not meant to impress you, it’s just they way they work. You can pretty safely assume that if someone is is a “dynamo” at their present job, they would probably be a “dynamo” if they come to work for you as well. Seeing how someone works can be far more revealing than multiple interviews!

If someone is a highly dynamic worker, and they want to come to work for you, hire them, whether you need another employee or not! Once again, pro sports team don’t pass up the opportunity to acquire a new superstar, merely because they already have a full roster. This may mean that your weakest performer may be one step closer to the door, but remember, this is business, and you are the one who will benefit most from a stronger team.

Finally, and above of all, don’t forget to trust your feelings when selecting people to work with you! We are, after all, animals. We really do have instincts. We notice little facial expressions that last only a microsecond, or grouping of words on a subconscious level that give us clues as to a person’s character. These perceptions may not even be on a conscious level, but you’ll find the feeling they create to be valid most of the time.

I have hired people before who have answered all the questions right and looked absolutely great! Their references all checked out, but somehow I still had a bad feeling. I figured maybe it was just a clashing of personalities, but low and behold, down the road whether it was a month or a year, I’d find that my suspicions were usually right. This person would either be steeling from me, saying bad things to the customers about the business, or might quit without notice! On the other hand, I have hired people who didn’t seem quite as sharp. Maybe they switched jobs more often than I like to see on an application, but for some reason I had strong good feelings about them, and they turned out to be great employees!

Dui Attorneys Los Angeles Car Insurance Austin Texas Panasonic Viera Lcd

Do you ever get hoarse? Have you ever completely lost your voice? Do you tend to lose your voice when you get a cold? Have you ever wondered if there is a way to quickly heal hoarseness or avoid getting hoarse in the first place?

What happens when you lose your voice and why does it happen?

If you were to search for help regarding hoarseness or lost voice on the internet, or ask your ENT (Ear, Nose and Throat doctor) or laryngologist, you would learn that acute hoarseness and loss of voice could be due to factors such as bacterial or viral infection, allergies, acid reflux, smoking and vocal abuse. You may be diagnosed with terms such as laryngitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, strep throat etc. Laryngitis simply means that there is an inflammation of the larynx – i.e. swelling. Inflammation can be because of viral infection, bacterial infections, acid reflux, vocal abuse etc.

An ENT would treat a bacterial infection with antibiotics and would also prescribe rest and silence. From other sources you may be advised to drink lemon tea, herbal tea, tea with honey, chicken soup, cough drops, throat lozenges, etc.

What if you found out that the allergies, infection, acid reflux, illness or other difficulties didn’t cause hoarseness?

What really happens when you lose your voice?

In simple terms, your voice is produced when your vocal cords, or vocal folds, come together and vibrate. If they can’t do that, you can’t make a sound. Some days, when your voice starts to weaken, what do you do? You try harder, because it takes more and more exertion to produce sound. In doing so, you use muscles that wouldn’t normally be used on an average given day.

To maintain the body’s equilibrium, the body has the ability to compensate — when you get an infection, the body produces the heat of a fever to fight it. Muscles compensate as well. For example, if you hurt your foot, you walk differently, with a limp.

When your voice becomes irritated, compensatory muscles kick into action, while you, desperate to produce sound, use more and more effort, resulting in more muscle tension and worsening any potential inflammation. The tension and perhaps the swelling become so severe that the vocal cords are unable to adduct, or come together, therefore they can no longer vibrate. The result? You’ve lost your voice. Swelling could be involved, which may have gotten worse because of the extra effort to speak or sing, but oftentimes, swelling is not the primary trouble.

A lost voice is often a tension/cramping condition that can be eased rapidly, and almost like magic, the voice can produce sound again. Also keep in mind that people with trained voices develop such an awareness of their instrument that when starting to feel under the weather, they know the best way to warm up and keep the voice performing.

They know how to produce sound without having to add extra effort and tension, and without increasing swelling of sensitive tissues. They also know when it is time to employ the proper exercises to free the tension and create vibration… and when it’s best to be silent! A well-trained speaker or singer knows how to protect the body from irritants and infections, and how to recover quickly when the voice has had too much. Basically, a trained speaker/singer learns the signs before the voice “goes out,” and therefore is able to prevent hoarseness in the first place.

When it’s a good day, we can get away with anything… when it’s a bad day, we need our skills. Functioning is difficult when we’re attacked by irritations, so remember, if you keep your body healthy, it won’t succumb quite as easily to bacteria and viruses. The same holds true for the healthy, strong voice. Develop awareness of your voice, learn what to do in certain situations, and the occurrences of hoarseness or losing your voice will become rarer and rarer.

Angeles Attorney Criminal Los Students Loan Consolidation

So you logged on Friday night, hoping to see your name, but instead your name was ‘not found.’ Believe it or not, you’re not the only one. Not even close. Every year many talented, smart, hard working graduates fail the bar exam. Even people in the top of their class fail on a consistent basis. We know it’s not where you want to be, and we know it can hurt.

But do know that it’s ok. People aren’t going to think you’re not capable or good enough. What’s important is how you respond after. After all, it’s not falling in the mud that matters, but how we pick ourselves back up that is the true measure of who we are.

The great Thomas Edison was asked how he succeeded in inventing the light bulb. He replied that his success came after over 1,000 failures. So, lucky you, you have a lot more failures to go before you can be even close to a failure like Thomas Edison!

So don’t take it personally. People still love you. Let’s take a look at some of the very elite company you now join:

Who else didn’t pass? The following is a list of others who also did not pass the bar exam:

Jerry Brown – newly elected Governor of California

Hillary Clinton – New York Senator and current Secretary of State

John F. Kennedy Jr. – Son of USA President JFK

Kathleen Sullivan – Former Dean of Stanford Law School

Pete Wilson – former California Governor (failed 3 times)

Antonio R. Villaraigosa – Mayor of Los Angeles (failed 4 times, still hasn’t passed)

For all you California takers, approximately one half of your July bar exam colleagues and approximately 70% of February bar exam colleagues also didn’t pass.

So good news for you, you’re not the only one! Even better news, you can still be very successful and happy in life even though you didn’t pass. And for all you wishing to run for public office, congratulations! It seems you have just accomplished the first step!

How can I do better next time?

For more, please visit: http://ipassedmybarexam.com/2010/11/23/i-didnt-pass-the-bar-its-ok/

“Like the eye of a hurricane, he stayed calm and ready while all else around him was in disarray”

Pedometer Running

Anyone hoping to rid themselves of a toxic black mold problem should be in the market for a qualified mold removal contractor.

And if that’s the case for you, remember how important research is in choosing the right professional for the job. As a consumer, it’s important to know the lingo your contractor will use — not just so you’ll know what he’s talking about, but so he’ll know you know what he’s talking about. It’s harder to snow-job someone who knows a bit about the trade.

So here’s a brief and by no means complete list of the tools your mold removal professional might use to tackle black mold in your home or business:

Protective Clothing and Gear. Mold removal is no easy job. As the mold is removed, it sprays out spores in a desperate bid for survival. Anyone who inhales too many of these spores risks serious health problems. That’s why most mold removal contractors bring face masks, goggles, and even respirators.

Humidity Meters and Humidistats. Humidity meters simply measure the amount of humidity in the air, so your mold removal contractor can have a good idea of how likely a room is to have prime living conditions for black mold. But humidistats are really cool. Much like thermostats do with temperature, these measure the amount of humidity in the air, and reduce that humidity if it gets to be too much. Your contractor may install one of these if you have a persistent condensation problem.

Moisture Gauges. These measure the amount of moisture in a given material, such as wood or carpeting. A mold removal pro might use one of these to see if the moisture in a substance increases over time, letting him know if your black mold problem was a one-time thing, or something more serious — like a leaking pipe or cracked foundation — is at hand.

HEPA Vacuums. You may have heard of HEPA filters. They’re the high-quality air processors found in the more expensive vacuum cleaners. HEPA stands for High Efficiency Particulate Air, and it scrubs the air like steel wool scrubs your pots and pans. Mold removal contractors use HEPA filters to suck all the spores and stray bits of mold out of the air as they do their work.

Borescopes. These are small devices that allow their users to see around corners. Essentially a tiny camera attached to a flexible arm, these allow mold removal professionals to check small spaces between walls and in the plenum spaces of ceilings. If your contractor misses even a tiny bit, the problem will come back, so borescopes are very useful tools indeed.

Mesothelioma Patient Superman T-shirt

Sicily is the motherland of the Mafia. It is a beautiful island in the Mediterranean Sea infested with unlimited series of vendettas, crimes and assassinations. The Sicilian Mafia is a loose confederation of about one hundred Mafia Families. Every single Mafia Family claims sovereignty over a territory, usually a town or village or a neighborhood of a larger city even though they never completely conquered and legitimized their0 monopoly of violence by fully eradicating all other Mafia Families. For many years, single Mafia Families were the sole ruling bodies, and they have remained the real centers of power even after the creation of subordinate bodies in the 1950s like the Sicilian Mafia Commission.

Many Sicilians did not regard these men as mere criminals but as role models for the people to follow and imitate; and as protectors, given that the ruling government appeared to offer no protection for the oppressed, poor and weak. Even in the 1950s, many people were still of the opinion that the Mafia was not criminal, but stood for respect of the law, defense of all rights and greatness of character. In Sicily, “Mafia” once meant something like pride, honor, and even social responsibility. It was like an attitude-cum-organization. Being a mafioso, also meant being honorable, noble and generous.

After the Revolution of 1848 and the revolution of 1860, Sicily had fallen prey to complete disorder, chaos and anarchy. The earliest Mafia Families who at that time were small bands of outlaws offered to fight in the in the revolt. The main reasons for this were believed to be the chance to burn police records and evidence and to kill off police and witnesses in the chaos. Unfortunately, a new government was established in Rome and it became impossible for the mafia to carry out these actions without state prosecution and retaliation. As a result, they began refining their methods and techniques over the latter half of the nineteenth century. Protecting the large lemon groves and huge estates of local nobility became a lucrative but dangerous business. Palermo, the capital of Sicily, was initially the main area of these activities, but the Sicilian mafia’s dominance soon spread all over Sicily. In order to strengthen the bond between the separate Mafia Families and to ensure greater profits and a safer working environment for all, it is possible that the Mafia as it is today was formed in about the mid-19th century.

In 1860, the new unified Italian state took over both Sicily and the Papal States. As a result, the Popes were hostile to the state. In 1870, the Pope declared himself to be besieged by the Italian state and strongly encouraged faithful Catholics to refuse to cooperate with the state. However this did not result in violence in Sicily. The friction and resentment between the Church and the state gave a great advantage and opportunity to the Mafia in Sicily who claimed to the ordinary people that cooperating with the police who worked for the state was an anti-Catholic activity. Protection rackets, cattle rustling and bribery of state officials were the main sources of income and protection for the early Mafia. The Mafia also borrowed from masonic oaths and rituals, such as the famous initiation ceremony.

During the Fascist period in Italy, Cesare Mori, prefect of Palermo, used the special powers granted to him to prosecute the Mafia Families, forcing many Mafiosi to flee abroad or risk being jailed. Many of the Mafiosi emigrated to the United States. The Fascist authorities declared that the Mafia had been vanquished. Though the Mafia had been severely weakened, it had not been defeated as claimed. Many Mafiosi were arrested and many were killed in the violence. People suspected to be involved with the Mafia were arrested and imprisoned without fair trials. The Mafia was in a extremely dire situation and most of its activities were at a standstill.

After Fascism, the Mafia did not become powerful in Italy again until after the country’s surrender in World War 2 and the U.S. occupation of Italy. The United States used Italian connections of the American Mafia Families during the invasion of Italy and Sicily in 1943. The American Mafia Families provided information for U.S. military intelligence and used its influence to ease the way for advancing troops. There arrested comrades and brethren were released as a result. Furthermore, the Mafia’s control of the ports prevented sabotage by any of the enemy agents.

Some say that the U.S. deliberately allowed the Mafia to recover its social and economic position as the “anti-State” in Sicily, and with the U.S.- mafia alliance forged in the invasion of 1943, this became the turning point in the history of the Mafia. Others believe that the Mafia exploited the chaos of post-fascist Sicily to reconquer its social base like had been done before on previous occasions and there was no U.S. – Mafia alliance.

After the invasion of Italy, the Americans were looking for governors and state administrators. They were wrongly told by their Sicilian Mafia comrades who had helped in the invasion that the arrested Mafiosi were hard-line anti-fascists who had refused to yield even under torture. They were therefore seen as potential governors and were appointed by the Americans as mayors of towns and to important government posts.

There was a serious internal conflict within the Mafia in the early 1980s which resulted in large scale fighting among the Mafia Families and also the assassinations of several politicians, police chiefs and magistrates. The new generation of Mafia Families placed way more emphasis on “white-collar” criminal activities as opposed to the traditional racketeering enterprises.

A pentito is a captured mafioso who collaborated with the judicial system in order to save himself from torture, imprisonment or capital punishment. the first major pentito was Tommaso Buscetta who had lost several allies in the war. This led to the Maxi Trial (1986-1987) which resulted in several hundred convictions of leading mafiosi. When the Italian Supreme Court confirmed the convictions in 1992, the Mafia took revenge. The politician Salvatore Lima was killed in March 1992. He had been the main government connection of the Mafia and the Mafia was clearly displeased with his services. Giovanni Falcone and fellow anti-Mafia prosecutor Paolo Borsellino, who were the main people behind the Maxi Trial were murdered a few months later. This led to a public outcry and a massive government crackdown in January 1993. More and more pentitos started to emerge. Many would have to pay a high price for their co-operation with the government through the murder of relatives.

Some of the Mafia Families, prominently the Corleonesi retaliated with a campaign of terrorism through a series of bombings against several tourist spots on the Italian mainland which left 10 people dead and 93 injured and caused severe damage to cultural heritage. Bernardo Provenzano took over as boss of the Corleonesi and halted this campaign and replaced it with a campaign of quietness. This campaign has allowed the Mafia to slowly regain the power it once had. He was arrested in 2006, after 43 years on the run.

By the late 1990s, the weakened Sicilian Mafia had to yield most of the illegal drug trade to the Ndrangheta crime organization. In 2006, the latter was estimated to control 80% of the cocaine import to Europe. However, the remaining activities of the Mafia have remained the same and as strong as before. It now has strong business in the extortion of big companies as well as smaller ones. It is estimated that 7% of Italy’s output is filtered off by the Mafia. The Mafia has turned into one of Italy’s biggest business enterprises with a turnover of more than 120 billion US $ (120,000,000,000$) a year.

Accident Attorney Car Sacramento

The auto industry and their dealers are rife with scams and fraud and the potential buyer needs to be armed with the knowledge of how these scams work and how to avoid them. There are many dealers that run reputable businesses and can get buyers into a vehicle without using fraudulent means, but there are always those individuals or companies that are looking for ways to take consumers for a ride. The state of California, San Diego and Los Angeles in southern California in particular, is home to many of these scam artists. Even smaller states like Oklahoma have their share of fraud cases and attorneys there are as busy as lawyers in the larger California market. If you are fortunate, you won’t be a victim of one of these disreputable dealers, but it is wise to be aware of potential scams before you head to the dealer. Here are some tips on dealing with auto fraud.

People with bad credit are often the victim of fraud at dealerships. They are easy prey, often due to the fact that they believe they cannot get financing. The worst offenses usually occur in the finance office, where the potential buyer often lets their guard down. One way to lessen the chance of being scammed is to show up with no trade and to have your financing done through your bank, with a bank draft in hand.

One of the most common frauds committed by car dealers and one that attorneys see frequently brought to them is the advertising fee scam. Dealers slip into the contract an advertising fee. Often times the advertising fee is on the factory invoice. Dealers add in a second advertising “fee” which becomes pure profit for them. The way to avoid it is to simply ask that it be taken off the contract. If the dealer tells you that the factory doesn’t charge them an advertising fee, have them show you the invoice. If there is no fee on the invoice, which is unlikely, it is okay for the dealer to charge between 1% and 3% of the Manufacturers Suggested Retail Price or MSRP for an advertising fee. If it does not appear on the invoice, then the fee is completely negotiable. If it does appear on the invoice, then that is a case of dealer cost and is not negotiable.

If you feel you are the victim of auto fraud, the best way of dealing with it is to contact a lawyer and learn what your options and rights are. If you have a good case, a lawyer will have no problem presenting your grievance to the court.

Hot Notebook Bag 17

Two accidents, two mangled cars, and two moments of fear and terror caused by two different people that ran red lights.

You can get a traffic ticket and have to attend traffic school for running a red light, but should you have to face more?

The first time I was hit by a “light runner” was the day before I graduated from college. The man who wiped off the front of my Volkswagen Beetle had his excuse for causing the accident all worked out when he spoke to me after I crawled out the passenger side front door.

“The light had already turned blue when I went through!” he proclaimed.

It was my good fortune that the car he went around to run the red light was an unmarked police car. The officer proceeded to give the light runner a rather comprehensive lesson on the legitimate colors of traffic lights and an up-close-and-personal look at the experience of getting arrested for driving under the influence.

No traffic school for the ‘blue light dude’. It was straight to the slammer without a peek at “Go”.

My poor Beetle was a total loss and I went to my graduation in cap, gown and neck collar.

Spin the dial on the time machine forward a couple decades and you will find me sitting in an intersection in my minivan with a young woman’s compact car melded to mine. The young lady that had just ran the red light had several young children in the car and did not have a license or insurance.

Two tow trucks came that day. One to take my ailing minivan to the repair shop and the other to tow what was left of her car to the impound yard. While I know that impound is one of the penalties for driving without a drivers license, my heart felt heavy as I watched her standing on the corner with one small child in her arms and the other two standing next to her holding hands as their ruined transportation was taken away.

I guess you don’t have to attend traffic school if you don’t actually have a driver’s license or insurance to protect.

According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, running red lights and other traffic controls like stop and yield signs is the most frequent type of police-reported urban crash. As a group, red light runners were younger, less likely to use safety belts, had poorer driving records, and drove smaller and older vehicles than drivers who stopped for red lights. Red light runners were more than three times as likely to have multiple speeding convictions on their driver records. No gender differences were found between violators and drivers who didn’t run red lights.

From a dollars and cents perspective, running a red light will earn you a hefty fine in excess of $300.00 in most counties in the US, along with the honor of doing a little quality traffic school time.

From a common sense perspective, running a red light could end up costing you much more than time and money.

~

Personal Injury Lawyers Philadelphia Barbeque Car Accident Lawyers Virginia

Disability claimants who have been denied their benefits at first attempt can always appeal for reconsideration. As soon as they receive the denial letter, they are advised to contact the social security agency immediately to request an appeal.

After an appeal has been requested, the social security district office will mail the required appeal forms to the claimant. With the help of a disability claim attorney or representative, a claimant may accomplish the paperwork and submit it to the agency. A claimant has to make sure that the appeals document reaches the agency before the deadline of its submission.

Even after the forms have been mailed, a claimant must call the social security office to inform them that the deadline has been met in order to give one’s case a so-called ‘protected date’. This will also provide some security in the event that appeal forms get lost in the mail.

Generally, denied claims pursued through the appeals process have a much greater chance of being subsequently awarded of benefits than filing a new application.

The administrative appeals process in a disability claim involves four steps:

1. Initial Determination – When a claimant is denied disability benefits on their initial application, they will receive written notification advising him of the initial determination and their right to a reconsideration of the decision. The claimant must then make an appeal and request for a reconsideration of the decision. An initial determination becomes final unless reconsideration is requested with sixty (60) days from the date of receipt of the notice of the determination.

2. Reconsideration Determination – At the reconsideration level, the administration will review the initial determination and any other medical evidence that is submitted by the parties or otherwise obtained.

A reconsidered determination becomes final unless a hearing is requested within sixty (60) days from the date of claimant’s receipt of notice of the reconsidered determination, or unless such determination is revised in accordance with 20 CFR Sec. 404.905, or unless the expedite appeals process is used in accordance with 20 CFR sec. 404.900 (a)(6)

3. Administrative Law Judge Decision – Before an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), a claimant is provided the opportunity for a full hearing during which he can present evidence and legal argument and cross examine witnesses. The ALJ renders a decision stating his finding of fact and conclusions of law.

The decisions are based on the evidence presented and evaluated at the hearing or included in the hearing record. If the claimant is dissatisfied with the decision of an administrative law judge, he must file a written appeal within sixty (60) days after his receipt of the ALJ decision to the Appeals Council for their review.

4. Appeals Council Review – The council reviews the ALJ’s decision, which it may affirm, modify or reverse or vacate. The council may also remand the case to an ALJ for rehearing, or take further testimony in the case.

After notification of its decision, a claimant has sixty days from receipt of the decision to seek review of the district court by filing a civil action.

To improve your chances of obtaining your claim, you will need the services of an able representative who can represent you in your appeals. A skilled and experienced disability claim attorney can increase your chances of getting your claim.

For additional information regarding the issues surrounding your Disability Claims, log on to our website and consult our highly commended Los Angeles Social Security attorneys.

Notebook Adapter

Owning and operating a motor vehicle is an expensive process. Besides coming up with the money to actually buy the car or truck, owners need to pay for maintenance, auto insurance and most of all, gasoline. With the price of gasoline reaching ever-higher levels, more and more motorists are trying to find ways to save money. And every time the price rises, the media are suddenly flooded with advertisements for a wide variety of devices that purport to perform miracles with the internal combustion engine while providing owners with huge increases in gas mileage.

Almost everyone has heard the ages old story of the guy who invented a carburetor that would allow a car to travel up to 200 miles on a gallon of gas. The device never reached the market, the story goes, because General Motors or Big Oil or some other Corporate Entity bought the rights to the device to prevent it from reaching the market. The story isn’t true; there is no such device and never really was one. It is true that in the 1930’s an inventor did patent a carburetor that claimed to do such things, but the devices was never manufactured and working prototypes were never demonstrated. The patent has expired, but no one is pursuing this device. It doesn’t work.

Just like that mythical carburetor are hundreds of other devices that are put on the market each year in order to entice economically-minded drivers to save on gas. The devices vary; some are electronic, some are magnetic and some add some sort of “slickness” compound to fuel or oil. Some atomize the fuel to make it burn more efficiently. Still others involve moving parts to stir the fuel or spray mists of water into the intake manifold to cool the engine temperature.

All of these devices have two things in common – they promise to save you a fortune in gasoline costs, and they don’t work.

The internal combustion engine is well over a hundred years old. It is proven, it is understood and it is a relatively mature product. Engineers are certainly finding ways to refine the ways the engine works and each year new ways are found to improve the product in some way. Small increases in performance or economy are commonplace. Dramatic increases in economy, such as those that might yield a threefold increase in gas mileage, are simply not possible.

It might be tempting to respond to the late-night television commercial or magazine ad in order to increase your car’s mileage by ordering a device that “Detroit doesn’t want you to have.” If you order them, you are just throwing your money away. The best money saving tip you will receive regarding gas-saving devices is this one – they don’t work. Save your money.

Consolidations Loan Student Steam oregon motorcycle accident attorney

The average length of ownership on vehicles these days is rising. Deciding on the right vehicle for you can be difficult. Especially since you will want to take many factors into account when choosing the car, truck, van, or SUV that you want to drive for the next one, two, or even five years or more.

Many people are leery of purchasing a used car. It’s always possible that the previous owner got rid of the car for a reason. You don’t want to get stuck with a car that will need frequent repairs. To allay these fears, many used car lots, including used car dealer Los Angeles, offer warranties on used cars. You have much more protection purchasing a used vehicle from a dealership than from a private person.

The number of people in your household, the average number of miles you plan to drive, the amount of gasoline each vehicle uses per mile, and what activities you will use the vehicle for are all important things to consider when making your car buying decision.

For instance, when you frequently shift bulky items, a car smaller in size might prove to be a wrong choice since it has no sufficient interior space and it also might not be so powerful to pull such heavy loads. On the other hand, a three member family, which goes out rarely and hopes to save the money spent of gasoline would neither opt for a large van nor a SUV.

If you don’t already have a car dealership in mind, you should check out the newspaper for used car ads in Los Angeles. From these advertisements, you can see what specials are available and at what prices cars are selling. Many dealerships will match the advertised prices of other dealerships for the same or similar car.

One method of finding used car dealers in the Los Angeles area is to ask your family and friends for referrals. Word of mouth is an excellent way to get advice on car dealerships. They can tell you which ones they’ve had good experiences with (or not so good as the case may be).

Last, but not least, have the used vehicle checked out regardless of who is selling it. It’s the only way to help ensure you don’t end up buying someone else’s problems. One way to do this is to take it to an authorized professional and have him or her look for anything which might need repairs or cause issues in the short or long term. Be sure it is someone independent and not associated with the seller.

Student Loan Consolodation