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A. No. Associated Industries members have access to our most valuable resources through membership, including our unlimited employment law advice, HR advice, and valuable content like legal webinars, employee handbook templates, multi-state employment posters, salary benchmarking tools, and other HR apps. Other offerings, such as investigations, affirmative action plans, background screens, hiring support, and HR outsourcing, are available at discounted member rates.
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A: No. The in-house attorneys at Associated Industries do not do direct representation or litigation. They focus on preventative, proactive measures that help employers assess and minimize their risks. If you’ve already been working with our legal team and discover you need representation, our team can help you through the transition and referral.
Q: My company uses an HR Hotline; wouldn’t that cover my needs as an employer in Washington?
A: Employment law attorneys and HR professionals differ in several ways. Employment law attorneys are legal professionals who specialize in the laws and regulations that apply to the workplace. Our in-house attorneys are trained to understand and interpret federal and state-specific laws and provide legal guidance to organizations on employment-related matters.
While employment law attorneys and HR professionals both play critical roles in the workplace, they have different areas of expertise and focus. Employment law attorneys are skilled in the legal aspects of employment, while HR professionals focus on managing and supporting employees and, often, with general compliance needs. HR professionals may need to consult with employment law attorneys on specific legal matters, and employment law attorneys may need to understand the policies and practices of the organization to provide effective legal advice. By communicating effectively, employment law attorneys and HR professionals can work together to support the organization’s success.Today’s topic is civil rights. As in those things that you are not supposed to violate. Unless, of course, you are part of an effort to crush the achievement gap—otherwise known as the civil rights issue of our time—in which case you may apparently violate civil rights with impunity.
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The Civil Rights Issue of Our Time?Ah, the '80s... synthesizers, sex, skinny ties, and snorting. While many bands reference the '80s, the Lovemakers actually capture the neon-pink decadence of the Reagan era.
Ah, the '80s... synthesizers, sex, skinny ties, and snorting. While Reagan and Thatcher were determined to bring the Western world out of the decadence of the '60s and '70s and into a new age of conservatism, the people were too busy doing blow, having sex, and hoarding technological gadgets to give a damn. Not until AIDS became a "someone-you-know-will-die-from-this" scourge did the party end. And from there, the story only got worse; what began as a decade of avant-garde music and style gave way to the atrocities of hair metal. Then, in the '90s, the seeds that Reagan sowed slowly grew into the current age of conservative repression, and the pop music world was dominated by Starbucks-sipping victims of consumerism (any irony there?). Can anyone get this damn party started again? With their new album Times of Romance, the Lovemakers make a valiant, debauched effort. Put on your most mod clothes and be ready to take them off for someone at the end of the night -- the Lovemakers party like it's 1985.
At first, the Lovemakers may not sound like anything unique. After all, their music is firmly rooted in the new wave sound that is currently "new" in the music scene. What's more, like the rest of the crop of neo-new wave bands, the Lovemakers sport all the latest fashions. Of course, in both the fashion and music worlds, nothing is ever new. Both run in 20-year cycles -- long enough for an old trend to lose the stigma of being passé and for a new generation to think a dated idea is original. But the Lovemakers aren't simply content to be another neo-new wave group. Rather than merely wearing cutesy black suits and mod hairdos, they actually sound like an '80s group -- not a group referencing the '80s. Their music not only captures the neon-pink decadence of two decades ago, it also recreates the sense of abandon and immortality of the MTV generation. Theirs is the sound of pheromones escaping from your pores and permeating the air of the dance club.
Indeed, the one adjective that suits the Lovemakers is sexy. While their music contains plenty of shimmery, computery synth sounds, most of the songs somehow escape sounding merely mechanical. Rather, many of the tracks benefit from the cold, detached sophistication of synthesized sounds, which infuse the music with an air of mystery. "Prepare for the Fight", for example, begins with incandescent synthesizers and a standard drum beat, but quickly builds to a dance floor anthem that pulsates, gyrates, and blinks. During the chorus, the bass line shifts from a slow, repetitive drone to an unrelenting pound as singers Scott Blonde and Lisa Light take turns handling the vocals, which are at turns pained and ecstatic. The overall effect is both melodramatic and sexy -- perfect for a night of drinking and flirting too much.
But the Lovemakers are much more than a band that likes to dance up the '80s sound. The songs on Times of Romance display a thorough knowledge of classic pop, and the group knows how to mix and match styles into a coherent whole. "Shake that Ass", for example, begins with a muted guitar riff straight out of the disco era, settles into a nasty bass groove, then gets downright stanky. Scott Blonde sings in a defiled falsetto, and Lisa Light handles the chorus, which is almost poetic in its candidness: 'You can have my love / Take my body / You can have anything you want / If you shake that ass for me." Other songs display the same ingenuity. "Falling Apart" features both acoustic guitar and melodic lead work on the electric guitar, plus a tender lead vocal by Blonde. While Blonde is from California, his voice sounds thoroughly new wave, a pained yelp with traces of a British accent. Then there's "Times of Romance", in which Light somehow makes the violin sound nasty. In the end, it's these unexpected shifts and inconsistencies that make Times of Romance intriguing.
If there's one shortcoming of the album, it's that dance songs move the feet much more effectively than the heart. Blonde and Light are former lovers, and their romantic fallout is captured in many of the tracks in gut-wrenching detail. Indeed, a close listen to the lyrics reveals the makings of a screenplay, but the tempo of the music often masks or diffuses the emotional intensity of the words. Still, this is a rather picky complaint. All the tracks on the album are utterly danceable, which is the goal of the Lovemakers -- to get people on the dance floor, close together, and gyrating in unison. If you can't get freaky while listening to this album, you should join an order; you might as well get some credit for your piety. Times of Romance is the sound of your inhibitions being stomped upon by lust.
Breaking bad habits is not easy, but its not impossible, either. It requires commitment, consistent effort, and discipline. With some tips and support, you will break unhealthy habits and move toward positive changes in your life. Habits are not all bad – they are just regular tendencies you do, which can make them hard to give up or change. The first step is the most important. Develop positive thinking & stop negative self-talk.
Moving into the first week of January, you have contemplated making a few resolutions, and perhaps thought of a list of things you would like to change and improve. In the coming weeks-to-months of 2018, some of these will be forgotten about, but many too will be achieved. Let’s make sure what you put on that list from the start stays on that list until you proudly cross it off with the pride of completion.
5 Steps to Stop negative self-talk.
1. Identify the negative thought. Recognize it. It’s just a thought. It only has power if we allow it to have power.
2. Take a deep breath and say something positive to replace the negative thought.
3. If the negative thought persists, consider using writing or other forms of creativity, such as music or art, to help deal with the negativity. I personally enjoy working out at the gym, and I begin my day with a workout to get my mind where it needs to be. Natural endorphins are released after a challenging training session. The benefits are tremendous