Decisions

According to the American Cancer Society, 192,370 women in the United States will develop breast cancer this year. With routine self breast examination, yearly mammograms, and proper surveillance, we expect that if we develop breast cancer it will be detected at its earliest stage and with treatment, our chance for survival and cure will be excellent. But what happens when our mammograms are misread or our doctors make mistakes? During any given year a certain number of women find themselves in that very situation. The damage having been done, their only course of action may be litigation to compensate them for their harm and to prevent the catastrophe from occurring to other women.

WHAT DO I NEED TO PROVE?

To maintain a successful medical malpractice case, it will be necessary for the victim to prove that the doctor, nurse, or other healthcare provider who cared for you deviated from the accepted standards of medical care for his or her profession; in other words, that the doctor or other provider was negligent and/or careless. You must also prove that the doctor’s negligence caused your resulting harm. Because the doctor did not give you the disease and your claim involves the delay in diagnosing your condition in a timely fashion, proving “causation” is usually the more difficult aspect of your case. The result of the negligent delay can be proven by showing the progression of the disease from one earlier stage to the next, and comparing the treatments necessary at each stage with the statistical survival rates from one stage to another. The damage claim you make is one that revolves around your “increased risks”.

HOW DO I PROVE MY CASE?

Your lawyer should hire medical experts in the same field as the physician or nurse involved in the care; these experts can offer opinions to a reasonable degree of certainty (the legal standard that applies to these types of cases) that the care was “substandard.” Thus, for example, cancer specialists can give opinions regarding the harm caused by the diagnostic delay. Most of the trial time in this type of case is taken up with the testimony by the competing experts for the person suing and the person being sued, with a jury determining the outcome.

WHAT DO I NEED TO HAVE MY CASE EVALUATED?

You will need all of your medical records. These must include the records of the doctor or other healthcare professionals who misdiagnosed your condition, as well as the records of the physicians who ultimately diagnosed your condition and provided you with care. Those records should be reviewed by an experienced medical malpractice lawyer, and experts who can opine about the quality of the care and the effect the substandard care had on your treatment and your chances of survival.

WHAT CAN I EXPECT IF I HAVE A GOOD CASE AND DECIDE TO SUE MY HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS?

Doctors, hospitals and other healthcare providers aggressively defend against medical malpractice or medical negligence cases, and many of these cases do not settle and go to trial. You can expect that it will take a few years before your case is listed for trial. During that time, you will be asked to answer written questions regarding your personal history, your medical care, your work and family history, other lawsuits you may have been involved in, and other questions. You will be asked to sit for a deposition where you will be asked questions by the defendants’ lawyers, and your testimony will be transcribed and/or recorded on videotape. There will be meetings with your attorney to prepare you for your deposition and for court. Photographs or videotapes of you, your treatment, and its effects may be necessary. You can expect that your family and significant others may be questioned as well.

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE DOCTOR IF I WIN MY CASE?

A medical malpractice or medical negligence case is a civil action for money compensation. It is not a criminal case and does not typically involve punishment for wrongdoing. A money award to compensate for your harm is the only outcome of such a case. Neither the doctor’s license nor his ability to practice is affected. Any settlement or verdict against a physician is, however, a reportable event under the National Practitioners Data Bank. While not open to the public, this data bank can be accessed by hospitals and health care providers when reviewing a physician’s application for privileges or hire, and does remain on the physician’s record.

WHAT SHOULD I DO IF I THINK I HAVE BEEN THE VICTIM OF MALPRACTICE AND MY CANCER DIAGNOSIS DELAYED?

You should consult an attorney who handles medical malpractice cases in the state where you received the negligent care. Because these cases require special expertise and experience, you should make sure you locate an attorney with the necessary experience in this area of the law. You will need to gather copies of your medical records so that they may be reviewed by expert physicians to determine if there was substandard care that caused you harm, and you must act quickly because there are statutes of limitations, which limit the time within which you can make a legal claim (in many states, such as Pennsylvania, the statute is two years; in some it is only one year). Make sure you document your “damages” by keeping a record of your treatments and taking photographs of yourself in the hospital and at home following surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy treatments.

This handy Pennsylvania medical malpractice tip is provided by the Philadelphia medical malpractice law firm, The Law Offices of Judy Greenwood, P.C., at 1800 JFK Boulevard, Suite 1500, Philadelphia, PA 19103, www.greenwoodlawoffice.com, email JudyWynnewood@aol.com.

About the Author:
Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney Judy Greenwood represents victims of medical negligence and catastrophic injuries with a concentration in medical negligence cases, and is located at 1800 JFK Blvd., Suite 1500, Phila., PA 19103, http://www.greenwoodlawoffice.com, email JudyWynnewood@aol.com.

Keyword tags: philadelphia medical malpractice attorney, breast cancer misdiagnosis lawyer, medical negligence

It was once observed by a most wise, efficient as wealth auto dealership owner that a major lesson and teaching of his life was that in the machine shop and automotive trade that neatness on the mechanical not only made life as well as any repairs easier, but also that neatness in any automotive repair facility paid and indeed made those garage owners and mechanics wealthy and prosperous.

The basic and simple maxim and guideline to live by of disassembly and reassemblies of auto and automotive components – is never to force anything, ever. If you find that you are not sure or unsure – then stop dead in your tracks. The second rule and corollary is always to carefully note and mark down everything – their configurations and placements, plus any other relevant and useful information and data. Do this both mentally as well as in writing your notebook or tablet laptop computer. How were these automotive components assembled originally? How were they put or held together? In what and which the sequence were or did they came apart. On top of that take the time to note as well, and to locate if they fall off the workbench or spring of what fasteners and fittings were used. They may look simple, but once lost they may be irreplaceable to obtain, by any means or manner.

Somewhere down the line or the highway your mechanical gizmo will have to be put back together. Even a tent comes with a set of instructions of how to raise it properly. So be it with the engine that you are working on. It does not matter if the item or items that you are taking apart – to later reassemble came from a car, truck, bus, tractor, Harley motorcycle or van. The procedure, steps and rules are in essence all the same, you can count on it. And so you should.

Disassemble components carefully to help assure and ensure that the parts will and do go back together totally properly. Again note the sequence in which parts are removed. This cannot be emphasized and overemphasized too much. Make special note of special characteristics or marks on parts that can or could be installed in more than one way or manner of form. For example think of the positions that a grooved thrust washer on a shaft could be placed.

It can be said to be a good practice and overall wise idea to lay the disassembled parts out on a clean surface in the order in which you removed them. It may also be helpful to make simple or even more elaborate sketches or even to take digital photos, with a standard digital camera of components before removal. If a large auto insurance company like the Manitoba Public Insurance Corp (M.P.I.) can do it so can you. Digital photos in essence cost nothing – only your time. Not long ago the same could not be said of the cost of Polaroid instant photography photos. A standard simple digital camera or even the camera on a run of the mill 2009 cell phone can easily do what used to take high end polo raid cameras to verify and record. Better yet it is all instant, basically free save your time. On top of that you can easily store and retrieve your photos on your PC computer and easily print them out hard copy if need be for easy reference when it comes to working out in the garage or even in your backyard or basement machine shop. Lastly if you do need professional garage man or the assistance of your expert mechanic photos can always be used for easy description and assistance in working on and completing your automotive project.

When you remove fasteners from a component, keep track of their locations. Thread a bolt back into a part, or put the washers or nut back on the stud. This will simply prevent mix ups later. If this is not practical put fasteners in a standard fishing tackle box or in a series of small boxes. Alternatively a cupcake or muffin tin or even an egg crate carton can be most useful for these purposes. Each cavity can hold the bolts as well as nuts from a particular area (for example oil pan bolts, valve cover bolts, engine mount bolts etc.). A pan or pans of these types is most helpful especially when working on assemblies with very small parts such as the drive train. Just remember to mark each cavity with paint or tape to identify the contents.

Lastly when you unplug the connector or connectors between the two wire harnesses or even two wires. It always a good and wise idea to identify the two haves with numbered pieces of masking tape – or a pair of matching pieces with colored electrical tape – so that they can be easily reconnected.

By following these simple steps and procedures – all of which are fairly basic and standard you will save yourself a lot of wasted time, energy and spare yourself a great amount of exasperation. Let alone time and money saved.

About the Author:
Steamboat L. Salter Wpg Used Cars Info http://www.winnipegusedcarsinfo.com Pre-Owned Autos Manitoba Canada http://www.winnipegusedautos.com Winnipeg Auto Trader http://www.autowestwinnipeg.ca

Keyword tags: auto,repair,dealer,mechanical,trades,doityourself,automotive,lawnmower,car,truck,suv,van,autobody

Basic oil and gas industry framework and knowledge for the mineral owner

Basic Mineral Rights

In America, we enjoy a broad range of property rights. One such right is mineral ownership on and under the land we own, ASSUMING someone before us has not severed the mineral estate from the surface estate. A legally binding title opinion is typically the only document that substantiates mineral ownership (at least with regard to earning income from the minerals, which is usually what matters). The complexity of such a title opinion can vary dramatically. In the 18th and 19th century, when land was originally deeded to individuals, the mineral estate naturally came with the land, and if it had not been severed since, remains with the land.

Learn the Basics of Oil and Gas

The majority of landowners are relatively disinterested in minerals, mineral estates, etc. until they open the mail and find a letter from an oil company proposing to lease their mineral rights. Then everything changes. Now they’re quite interested in learning a few things… which is the reason Oil and Gas Mineral Services Co. exists, to educate and serve America’s mineral owners. An oil company is interested in leasing your minerals because they have reason to believe that they can find oil or gas there.

The Oil Company (a.k.a. the Operator) Relationship with the Mineral Owner

To bring oil and gas reserves to market, minerals are leased by oil companies through a legally binding contract known as an Oil and Gas Lease. This arrangement between individual mineral owners and oil companies began prior to 1900 and still thrives today. Although there are numerous other important details, the basic economic structure of the Lease is this: in exchange for an “up-front” cash bonus payment, plus a percentage of the value of any production, the mineral owner grants the oil company the right to drill and produce. In some cases, no activity follows and the lease simply expires. However, a well may in fact be drilled. We’ll assume here that drilling is viewed as a good thing by all involved. After all, nobody will enjoy economic gain if nothing is done.

Drilling and Completion Activities

Assuming the oil company decides to drill, they may drill on your tract of mineral (and quite possibly surface) ownership. If you are a surface owner, the oil company will likely propose a drill site, notify you, and offer to pay for damages related to the surface use. Obviously, all parties should be guided by reasoned thinking as to the compensation for damages, road usage, pipelines etc. Both parties should remember that realizing economic gain from mineral production is accomplished by partnership between the mineral owner and the Operator. Drilling operations can vary from 10 days to 90 days, or even more in some cases. Completing the well (perforating, hydraulic fracturing, installing production equipment etc.) can take a similar period. Now, let’s say that we’ve made a well…

Producing Characteristics of Oil and Gas Wells

Oil and gas production is produced from what are commonly known as reservoirs. Production rates generally decline more rapidly in the early stages of a wells producing life. There are typically three types of natural drive mechanisms from which hydrocarbons flow through reservoirs: water drive, depletion drive, and solution drive.

One of the primary determinants of value for a producing well is its decline curve. A decline curve illustrates the production history of a particular well, and is also used to predict future performance. Now, the hydrocarbon must be sold.

Oil and Gas Marketing

In the majority of cases, a royalty owner’s (a mineral owner whose land has been drilled upon and hydrocarbons found, is now a producing mineral owner, commonly called a royalty owner) share of production is marketed and sold along with the working interest owner’s (working interest owners are those owners obligated to pay for the expenses of drilling and operating a well) portion.

The quality of produced hydrocarbons varies and has direct impact on its value. Oil gravity and sulphur content are the two most important characteristics affecting crude oil pricing. With natural gas, the MMBTU content and the amount of impurities have the most impact on the value per MCF.

Oil and Gas Measurement

Produced oil and gas is measured prior to leaving the well site, as required by law. The gross volume from which your royalty share is calculated is based on this measurement. Customary industry standard requires that the Operator verifies the measurements of the First Purchaser through a “check” meter for gas, or by rechecking (behind the First Purchaser) the levels in the oil storage tanks. With respect to the risk of you being “shorted” your properly due production, it is important to keep in mind that it is in your Operator’s best interest to insure proper product measurement.

Marketing Expenses (a.k.a. Deductions)

You may notice a column on your royalty check stub that contains deductions for making production ready for sale. Common charges are for compression, dehydration, and removing impurities from gas. Debate, often in court, has gone on for years as to the applicability of these charges.

Oil and Gas Pricing

Crude oil and natural gas are commodities, and subject to daily swings in their value in the marketplace. The New York Mercantile Exchange (NYMEX) is the primary market maker for pricing these commodities. The actual cash (or physical) price which royalty owners and oil companies receive is usually based upon a contracted price set each month.

The Tax Man cometh – Oil and Gas Severance Taxes and Ad Valorem Taxes

State governments levy a severance tax monthly when natural resources such as oil and gas are “severed” from the earth. Generally, the First Purchaser is responsible for collecting and accounting for this tax. This should be easily calculable, and match the deduction shown on your royalty check stub. County governments render and collect a yearly ad valorem tax on producing minerals in most states. Owners are usually billed annually.

About the Author:
Kenny DuBose holds a Bachelor of Science in Petroleum Engineering and is an active member of the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the National Association of Royalty Owners. He is President of http://www.mineralweb.com/ a resource for owners of mineral rights and oil and gas royalty.

Keyword tags: oil and gas basics, mineral rights

Having an efficient leader in an organization is one of the best investments of the organization. In fact, it is like a two way process. While individual efforts give a sense of recognition to a person, accomplishing a great task through teamwork can be a great reward beyond comparison. This fact is basically the focal point of all the team building and training exercises which are designed for various organizations.

Generally, the team building exercises begin by making the individuals aware of their competency which then is connected to how this individuality will be used in attaining corporate objectives.

Such kind of programs revolve around activities fostering team work and group dynamics which are then directed to help the participants realize the importance of teamwork in an organization. The best teamwork for an organization is the one that generates the best output with minimum costs, only then can it have the capability of giving the organization a competitive lead. Among the many advantages of team building and trainings, some of the most important ones are:

1) Individual improvement is a direct positive outcome of teamwork at the outset but considering it in the long run, it helps a lot in corporate gains because goals are achieved when the profits are reaped. For instance, if individuals with different skills are working towards a common objective, team building will foster the individuals to consider themselves as a very important part of the group who need to give their best and work with the entire group to be able to make the group work in one direction with full efforts.

2) There are a number of problems that hamper the team work and the team building like bloated egos, the urge to outperform the others for personal benefits, personal malice or ambition etc which should be addressed during the entire program of team building and training. In fact, those of the employees who have been a part of all these issues can feel responsible in forming an environment of trust and integrity.

3) Another important aspect for team building and training is choosing the right leader who should have the ability to listen to his team members, be responsible for his team and brainstorm ideas. These characteristics of the leader make him respectable in the eyes of the group and also make the group efficient and dynamic as a unit.

It should be noted that team work assures success so there must be certain measures which should be taken to have the best team building and training program. It is important to make the individual employees aware of how a team behaves and how they must work with other teams to have less supervision from their managers. It is also important to develop the individual employees because when people acknowledge the roles of individuals it proves to be a great motivation for them and they become responsible to create a close relationship with the other members of the group.

Team building and training promotes loyalty, team strength and much better performance.

About the Author:
Visit http://www.managementdynamics.info for more information about management training and consultancy services.

Keyword tags: management training, Team building, management consultant

Removing an auto engine can be one of the most difficult if not troublesome as well as potentially dangerous phases or parts of the whole process of rebuilding your vehicles automotive motor.

The degree of difficulty becomes compounded when it comes the reverse procedure – when it comes to the time period when it comes to install that auto’s motor back under the hood of the vehicle. You must well remember how everything goes back together under the hood or bonnet of your means of transport otherwise you will not be able to start up that car, truck, van or SUV to drive down those streets, roads, highways and byways. Hence it is essential that you develop and maintain a careful as well as orderly set of procedures in regards to the removal process to help the whole rebuilding or upgrade process go easily and smoothly without hitch.

There are a number of preliminary steps that should be taken before the automotive engine can be removed and the work started on the vehicle.

First of all locating a place to do the work is extremely important. Adequate work space along with storage space for that vehicle or even set of vehicles, if you are providing for parts cars, is needed. If a shop or garage is not available, then at the very least then a flat, level, clean work surface made of concrete or cement is required. If it turns out in your searches and travels that the only surface available is asphalt, then be sure to remember that most jack stands will tend to sink into your asphalt when it comes time to support an extreme amount of weight especially when it comes time to support heavier sets and types of vehicles – be it SUV’s, older well made heavier vintage cars and of course trucks and busses.

Cleaning the power plant compartment and the engine before beginning the whole removal process and procedure will help to keep your tools and tool chest clean and even well and better organized. Often automotive professionals themselves and those in the trade will suggest and recommend to novice mechanics that the best method and methods for cleaning both the engine and engine compartments is to have them steam cleaned themselves by a professional automobile “detail” shop. As an alternate method most often used by home mechanics is to have the engine itself degreased. You can easily purchase a can of engine degreaser – say at your local Canadian tire store or other big box automotive parts outlet. If the motor and other power train components have an extraordinary amount of dirt, grime and grease you might want to consider purchasing two cans. Why have to drive back to the parts store unnecessarily? There are more than one brand or type of engine cleaner and degreaser to choose from , the best advice here by experienced mechanics and car industry professionals is to be sure that the label of the cleaning product specifically designates the product as an “engine degreaser” not a brake or other type of cleanser.

Before the vehicle is dissembled itself, you can drive the vehicle over to a self service car wash or alternate where you can find high pressure cleaning equipment as well as proper drainage for the dirty water left over from engine compartment degreasing. Make sure that the trip over to the car wash has allowed the engine to heat up to normal operating temperatures to allow the degreaser solution to do its work in softening up and removing the long baked on dirt , grease and engine compartment grime. You can use a few old rags as well as plastic bags to cover areas that you do not want to get wet – for example electrical components as well as distributors and electric coils in older vintage cars and vehicles. Of course this will help the engine to start, and you drive away easily and without fuss after the whole cleaning process are over.

It’s always easiest to work on a clean engine both before, during an engine overhaul as well as the whole process of putting the motor and its automotive components back to the condition where it can be simply driven away – back to automotive owner or car lot where it came from.

About the Author:
Steamboat L. Salter Winnipeg Auto Trader Wpg Gauthier http://www.autowest.ca Drivekey Mod Chips http://www.modchipcentral.com Manitoba Auto Dealer http://www.autowestwinnipeg.com

Keyword tags: auto,automotive,repair,engine,overhaul,motor,doityourself,parts,garage,autotrader,vintage,cars

Creating a trust into which to put your earthly assets is viewed by many people as a hugely important step towards keeping their most valued property in the hands of family and friends. A trust, distinct from yet compatible with a last will and testament, will be for many people an essential part of putting their affairs in order as they prepare to “depart the mortal realm”. Although talking about death in such matter of fact, technical terms is something that people are often loath to do, as one gets older it becomes all the more important to take on board the realities and the transience of life. A major part of that is looking at ensuring that one’s assets are handled correctly. Here are some reasons why people choose to create a trust for that purpose.

1.Creating a living trust allows the individual to manage their property while they are still alive. In addition to that, it allows a person to nominate individuals to do the same up to and after their death. In doing this using the relevant legal channels and entitlements, it is possible to keep any legal vulnerabilities to a minimum and avoid expensive, time consuming legal processes after death. At the base, the idea of a living trust is to keep property with the family and friends, the inner sanctum of an individual.

2.Creating a trust has some notable advantages over making a will. If one simply makes a will, the document and the provisions contained therein are subject to probate, which can see a long and often upsetting delay in the provisions being legally ratified. As well as this, by creating a trust it is possible to remove or minimise the consideration given to inheritance or estate tax – something which in the case of valuable estates can rise into the high figures, and leave some of the beneficiaries with very little.

3.The creation of a living trust is something that is considered important when a testator owns more than one piece of property. In the case of an individual who owns two or more houses, each property will be subject to probate in the case of death. This is something which increases the amount of time taken up by probate and which can also result in the loss of value in their estate. By creating a living trust, this step can be minimized and often removed altogether.

4.By creating a trust it is possible for a testator to nominate a legal guardian for any minor children in the case of their death. This can also allow the testator to specify any provisions for certain points in the life of their child whereupon they will be entitled to any cash or property assets which are held in trust – thus paying for school fees or allowing their child to have a house of their own on reaching a certain age. This step allows parents who do not have long to live to ensure the security of their children after their death.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and entertainment purposes only, and should not be construed as legal advice on any subject matter.

About the Author:
http://LegalBuffet.com is a complete online resource that compares the legal services offered by various online companies. Find the best company for your living trusts needs at http://legalbuffet.com/trust-services/.

Keyword tags: Trusts, living trusts, online trusts, estate planning, trusts online, legal trusts, wills, create a