Sign Presentation for Legal Fast

I'm glad I did it, but honestly? It was just okay -- not the thrill / rush I was hoping for.I did it "tandem;" you're strapped to an instructor, so you get a longer free fall (45 seconds vs. about 10) and less training. It's a win-win.I had to take a training class which is somewhere between 30 minutes and an hour. We aren't told a ton of useful stuff there because, after all, we have little to do but enjoy the ride (literally).We get in the plane and start ascending. The plane is extremely rickety. At this point, I recall that we were told "reassuringly" that flying in a plane is more dangerous than skydiving. I can't help but think that if this is the plane they were talking about, no wonder!It is finally time to jump out. Now that seems scary. One person after another jump out of the plane, and finally it's my turn.My instructor (who I am strapped to) and I shuffle up to the front of the plane, where the giant door looked out on to the open sky. Whenever I am ready, I can jump.What the heck? I jump. No reason to overthink this. I know that the longer you sit there and let yourself be scared, the more you'll be scared.And then I'm falling. Except that it doesn't feel like falling. It feels more like floating there in air with a ton of air blowing at your face.Those who remember their physics course will know that you can't really feel "falling." You can see the ground rushing towards you. You can feel air blowing past you. You can certainly know that you're falling to your death. But, once you signNow terminal velocity (which happens within 10 seconds), you can't really feel "falling." And, even before then, you can't really feel "falling;" you could only, at most, feel some mild acceleration.But back to my jumping out of a moving airplane.There is nothing really to give me that OH MY GOD I'M FALLING thrill. I'm so far above the ground that the ground isn't really rushing at me. The ground looks about as close from one second to the next.It doesn't feel like I'm falling. It feels like there's a ton of wind blowing at me and I'm just kind of there, chilling, watching the scenery.Hey, it's kind of nice up here. Loud, but peaceful in a way. 45 seconds pass, then it's time to open the parachute. HOLY !@#!@!!! That thing pulls hard on you. Really hard. (I later discovered I had bruises all over my shoulders.)But then, it's back to a nice, pleasant, parachute-ride down. I take some pictures. It's pretty.The landing is surprisingly soft. The instructor pulls up on the parachute just before landing, which helps to break the landing even more. His feet hit the ground first, then mine. And that is it. The ride is over.I'm glad I did it, so that I know what it's like. I'd do it again to see, just to see if I still have the same experience. Mostly though, it was a pretty forgettable experience. Bungee jumping was much more fun.

I completely agree about all the resources above - nothing can tell you how to present well and write great slide decks like watching people who do it brilliantly.My personal advice would be:Don't touch PowerPoint until you know what story you want to tell and how.  I often start with mind-mapping, or maybe just a list of the key points I want to get across.  It depends how long and complex the presentation is going to be.Don't touch PowerPoint unless you need it to help tell the story you want to tell.  If you can do just as good a job by talking and showing a product demonstration, or by whiteboarding, skip the slides. They shouldn't be mandatory.PowerPoint will blank the screen if you press the B button. So if you don't need slides for all of your talk, or if you want to get focus back for emphasis, blank the screen to get people looking at you again.  (Most presenter remotes will let you program a button to do that, some have one mapped already.)Remember it's not possible for your audience to read and listen at the same time.(This has been alluded to above but it bears repeating.) Never forget the presentation has to meet your audience's needs or it won't meet yours. Pick one or two people who will be in your audience.  Imagine what they will get out of the presentation, then from every slide, then from every point or every word.  If anything doesn't contribute to what the people in the room need from the presentation, kill it. Make every word and every graphic fight for its life.Practice, out loud, at least twice, all the way through. For most people, the first few times out loud will be clunky. You get to choose whether it's your furniture that sees them or your audience.Practice open, expansive, confident body language in a mirror, remember what it looks and feels like, so you can switch it on when you need to. Don't rush your words.  Don't be afraid of pauses.  Even if you're terrified and want to run from the room, faking confident body language will actually make you feel more comfortable.Good luck!

I know there was a study done a few years ago - this is the link: Is Alzheimer’s Really Linked to Poor Dental Health?As the article says, the researchers found it difficult to directly link dental health with Alzheimer’s. What I find interesting is the role that inflammation may play in brain health.That being said, from my own personal experience with my mother, the three or four teeth that are still present in her mouth are rotten. They’re black stubs sticking out of her gums. There’s nothing that can be done as she’s too demented to even attempt to sedate & treat her. I believe they’re loose, but no one will put their hands in her mouth as she’ll probably attempt to bite them. She can still eat solid food, but it must be very soft - ie: overcooked vegetables, small bits of meat, puddings, etc.She was afraid of the dentist as a child & as an adult, wasn’t diligent at all about going to the dentist or brushing her teeth. (To her credit, she was diligent about my oral care). When she retired from teaching & was selecting medical & dental coverage, she opted out of the dental insurance which meant that she had to pay cash for any dental work that she needed done. For 15 years, she didn’t see a dentist & as she began her descent into Alzheimer’s, brushing her teeth went in the same direction as other personal hygiene issues - downhill. Her gums began to bother her & she finally found a local dentist. She was able to fit her with dentures (at a cost of over $10,000). The ironic thing was that the dentist contacted me to say that she thought my mother was exhibiting signs of Alzheimer’s & she was concerned. As I’ve said in my other answers about Alzheimer’s, I didn’t have POA so I was limited in what I could do legally. Fast forward a year & I had to commit my mother before I could petition the court for guardianship. While she was staying in a dementia unit in a mental health facility, she was being given different medications at different dosages to control her hallucinations, paranoia & mood swings. Some didn’t work very well & at one point in her stay, she threw away her dentures. She thought someone had left teeth in her room to scare her so she wrapped them in a tissue & put them in the garbage. I called her dentist, told her what happened & she told me that another pair of dentures would cost the same as the first pair & that she’d need to see my mother for several visits. Obviously, this wasn’t possible. She had a few teeth in her mouth & was still able to chew normal food. Replacing the dentures became a non-issue with everything else I was dealing with.Once I had placed her in a “memory care” facility, she refused to see the facility’s dentist. The aides could get her to brush her teeth occasionally, but she would become so agitated, it wasn’t worth the fight. Eventually, we all gave up.I don’t know how much her dental problems contributed to her Alzheimer’s. There are so many factors that we know & don’t know about the disease that it’s difficult to point to one issue as a cause. Perhaps the gum inflammation contributed to it, perhaps the bacteria that cause tooth decay. With my mother, there were so many issues at play that it’s difficult to point to one condition as a reason.Thanks for the A2A!

Not so much a legal question, but I whooped their arse in court, representing myself.I was being sued by a debt collection agency for over £1000 for a debt I had run up on a credit card I used to hold. They had taken over the delinquent account and added their standard charges, fees and interest, bringing what was originally a £400 debt to just over £1000.I had received many of their letters and told them I refused to pay a debt that wasn't owed. They told me tough, pay up. I said no. They said fine, see you in court.As you walk from the waiting area to the court room, there are signs everywhere saying turn off your mobile phone, is your phone worth a contempt of court charge etc. I had already done so and it was sitting in my jacket pocket.The judge introduced himself, asked why I had not brought any paperwork in my defence and told me what was going to happen as I was representing myself. All very amicable.I told the judge I had not brought any paperwork as I didn't need any. I then stated that, with his permission, I would like to break one of the courts rules when making my case, but I would explain at that time what I needed and why.The debt collection agency had sent several solicitors to fight for their money. They were all sat on their side of the court with folders full of paperwork, in nice fancy suits and expensive briefcases. I was sat on the other side, on my own, with nothing but the glass of water provided for me in front of me and my wallet on the desk.Their solicitors made their arguments. I had knowingly entered into a contract with a credit card company. I had the benefit of that card (legal speak for “he used it”). I had failed to make payments as proscribed in the contract. I was warned the account would be closed if I refused to make payment, and eventually, with much reluctance I’m sure, the bank closed the account and sent it to debt. Cut and dry, airtight case. They had contracts. They had my signature and it was the right one (I use several different signatures depending on what I’m signing, so a signature cannot be lifted and photoshopped on something it should not be on). They had copies of account statements showing I used the card. They had everything really.In fact, they had nothing.It was my turn. I explained that I had never denied having or using the card. I asked to see the evidence used against me, and asked to approach the judges bench. I showed each and every instance where I had made FULL payment for monies owed, on time, every time.I then explained that when an account goes to debt, the bank closes the account and the card can no longer be used. The judge looked at the solicitors and they agreed the account was indeed closed.That was what I was waiting for. I then said to the judge that this was the point I would like to break the court’s rules and explained what I wanted to do and why.The judge agreed.I then took out my phone and asked the clerk to call the number on the back of my credit card, and to confirm that number was the same as the customer services number on the statements provided against me by the debt collection agency. I got the clerk to do this so I could not be accused of calling a friend who had a pre-arranged script.I got through to the customer services, passed through the usual security questions, and, over speaker, asked the rep to confirm if my account was open or closed, and if any money was owed on the account, other than the normal minimum payment required at the end of the month.The rep said the account was still open (of course) and no money was owed. Just to labour the point a bit more, I asked him to read off the last few transactions, amounts and dates, to confirm the card was still in regular use. He did. I said thanks and ended the call. I made sure to turn the phone off afterwards.The judge demanded to know why the debt collection agency were chasing me as there was clearly no debt owed. He demanded to know why they claimed under oath that I had never made payments, when their own evidence against me proved otherwise. He demanded to know how their fees and charges were made up.The solicitors could not answer a single question.The judge immediately dismissed the case as I had proven beyond any doubt I was right and they were wrong.As I was putting my jacket on to leave the court room, the judge told me “well done”.I walked out smiling.

Both terms - “electronic signature” and “digital signature” - are often used interchangeably, they aren’t exactly the same. Electronic signatures could be considered virtual representations of a pen-and-paper (“wet”) signatures. Digital signatures, also called cryptographic signatures, are a type of electronic signature that’s coded and encrypted in order to prevent the impersonation of a signee, tampering, and improve security overall.The main difference is that a digital signature is mainly used to secure documents and is authorized by certification authorities while an electronic signature (e-signature, e-sign) is usually associated with a contract where the signer has got the intention to do so: Difference Between Digital Signature and Electronic SignatureE-signature helps an individual to show his agreement to the conditions and terms of an electronic service. It can also be used to confirm the identity of the message's creator. Many countries give the same legal importance and significance to e-signatures as to traditional ways of executing documents. Here are the features of some most popular tools in this area: Best E-Signature Software Reviews & Comparisons | 2019 List of Expert's ChoicesWith electronic signature tools you avoid signing digital documents by hand - which is tedious cause otherwise you need to print, sign and scan all that stuff - that’s why such tools are on the rise. If you work with such signatures often, maybe you need some simple free tool which is specialized exactly for your business tasks. It really depends on the purpose for which you need this to sign an already typed document - it is often better to use a specialized tool, like Draw Your Signature Online and Sign PDF - CreateMySignature.com (instead of a regular image editor) to streamline your business documents workflow.

Reputable venture capital firms rarely back out of a signed term sheet.  I've only seen it happen a handful of times (less than 10?) in 15 years of working with startups. It does happen, though. The most likely scenarios where it might be more likely to happen are, in rough order of greatest to least likelihood:Legal Diligence issue: If the VC's or their attorneys uncover legal diligence issues like IP-ownership problems (unclear who owns the IP), corporate-ownership problems (unclear who owns the Company) that aren't capable of being cured or are so grave that they damage the value of the Company, they are pretty likely to back out. This doesn't happen very often, but when it does happen, it often leads to the VC terminating negotiations towards definitive agreements.Financial Diligence issue: Sometimes major financial issues aren't uncovered until the legal diligence process (which doesn't occur until post-term sheet signing, most of the time). The likelihood of the VC backing out is proportional to the cost/size of the financial issue.Personality Diligence issue: If the VC's discover something very  negative about the personalities of the Founders or other key employees  of the Company during diligence that wasn't apparent prior to signing  the term sheet, they often would consider terminating negotiations  towards definitive agreements.Product Diligence issue: Most of the time the VC will have done enough product diligence to determine whether or not they want to invest, prior to the term sheet. However, occasionally a complex product problem, or a scientific mechanic won't be seen until later in the process. This one is pretty rare.Complying with the term sheet: Sometimes the term sheet has provisions in it that make clear under what conditions the VC will invest. One example might be that the company has to raise at least $x from other sources. If that condition isn't met the VC will back out. (But not sure I'd consider that in the same vein as these others.)Market (or other similar force majeur) shenanigans: VC's have been known to back out during times of severe market implosions (think: September 11 / the 2008 crash / Black Friday).Internal VC problems:  If the VC firm, itself, is having problems (internal fund disputes; LP problems; worse), the VC sometimes is forced to pull a term sheet.  This is very rare but I've seen it, I think.I've only seen one or two situations where none of the above applied and the VC backed out anyway. In general VC's who back out aren't well received in the community -- so they really do avoid it.(Side note: the question asks about backing out after a *signed* term sheet.  This is very different than backing out after negotiating towards a signed term sheet but before actually signing a term sheet -- that happens much more frequently.)

I completed my Masters in the summer of 2018 from Northeastern University. I majored in Engineering Management, which was a year long course. As I write this answer, I have completed 18 months in USA and without a second thought, it has been an incredibly challenging yet exciting journey. Unlike many of my friends, I did not have any family in USA other than my then boyfriend(who happens to be my husband now.. :)). There were times when I was at an emotional low and wanted to head back to the comfort of a loving family and familiar faces. But as time passed I have realized that out of uncomfortable situations comes the greatest learnings of life.Circling back to the question at hand, I would say the following are the major problems I faced as an Indian student in USA:Home sickness: At some point after you arrive in USA, home sickness creeps in. For some, this point comes after initial few weeks and for others it might come a little later. But there are definitely times when you would miss home and want nothing more than a couple of weeks with your family. I personally felt homesick often during my initial days until I found a stable friend circle.Indian food: So this is a big one. We Indians are used to “Maa k hath ka khana” which is freshly made with oozing desi ghee. Well, in USA, its neither Mom made, nor fresh. Most of the Indian grocery stores have shelves filled with frozen food which stays there for months at a stretch. The few Indian restaurants that you would find in your city might nowhere be near to the restaurants we find in every corner of India.. which reminds me of STREET FOOD! Till date, I have never had good pani puris or vada pav or chat papdi in USA!Managing expenses: The magnitude of this problem depends on 2 factors- 1) your pocket money that you get from your parents and 2) whether or not you have a part time job. Almost all of my peers used to apply for part time jobs but only 30% would actually end up with one. On an average if you get a $1000 pocket money(in a city like Boston, where rent takes up 50%-60% of that amount), you would be barely left with anything by end of month to even think of luxuries. Add to that the habit of Dollar to Rupee conversion.. it took me almost a semester to get rid of this annoying habit. Imagine paying 300 Rs for a Lays packet! Phew!Coping with cultural difference: There is a big list of cultural norms in USA which, if practiced in India can cause havoc. For eg- small talk! I have grown up constantly being advised - “beta, anjaan logo se baat mat karna”! In USA, you will see every passing-by person flash a smile and trying to engage in small talks- starting from your uber driver to the cashier at a grocery store.. it is a norm here and is considered polite. Similarly there are other cultural differences in terms of dressing sense, accent, the way you are greeted.. which takes considerable amount of time for a person to decipher and later adapt to.Job search: This is where the real struggle begins. I graduated from NIT Jalandhar in India and getting a job was easy as all I had to do was to maintain a decent GPA and interview with the companies that visited my campus for recruitment. In USA, there is no concept of PLACEMENT. Job search is a super hectic and time consuming process which starts with networking/socializing with the right people. I started my job search in Nov 2017 and landed an offer in June 2018, just a few days before my graduation. I have friends who are still struggling to get a job. Given the H1b restrictions and ever changing policies around the same, the job market is no longer favorable for students on OPT.The above mentioned points are just a high-level analysis of the problems I faced during my student days. Though I have found ways to deal with most of them over time, the cultural difference piece is something that takes longer..years at times, and I am still adapting. I would however add, the past 18 months have actually made me a better person in terms of humility, compassion and acceptance of diversity. I do not plan to settle in USA, but I do plan to take back great lessons home and work on implementing a lot of good things that I have experienced here.Cheers!

Voice is one of the most ambiguous, confusing, and highly sought after elements of writing. “How do I find my voice?” is a common question. And one that even experienced authors aren’t always quite sure how to answer. Everyone seems to have his own opinion on just what voice is. Is it our subject matter? Is it the way we construct sentences? Is it the instinctive tenor of our words—or is it something we have to learn?Your voice is something that is inherently you. It’s rather like a literary fingerprint. No one of us, no matter how similar our personalities or geographical or social upbringing, will ever put words on paper in exactly the same order. There will never be a second Hemingway (though many lit students like to attempt it), a second Austen, or a second Vonnegut. Even better, there will never be a second you. Therefore, the answer to whether or not voice is something you can learn is both yes and no. Yes, in that your voice will change, mature, and sharpen as you study and grow in the craft. No, in that it is something inborn within all of us. Katherine Anne Porter wrote, “You do not create style. You work and develop yourself; your style is an emanation of your own being.”In light of this inherency, it’s surprising how many young authors worry about finding their voices. Many of us go through growing spurts in which we attempt to shape our writing to the pattern of one of the masters—and therefore try to force our own styles to conform to his. We think that if we can learn what worked in the voices of classic writers, we can signNow the same level of success. But the best and truest way to find success is to embrace our own voices. Allen Ginsberg and Janet Burroway, respectively, agreed:"To gain your own voice, you have to forget about having it heard. Renounce that and you get your own voice automatically. Try to become a saint of your own province and your own consciousness, and you won’t worry about being heard in The New York Times.""Voice and point of view are closely intertwined; therefore, it’s the hardest thing to teach. What I mainly do is say, “Don’t worry about it. Don’t look for your voice; just say things as clearly and as vividly as you can say them, and that will be your voice."To first discover your voice and then perfect it, the best thing you can do is simply tackle writing head on. Start putting words on paper, start figuring out what works and what doesn’t. But, more than anything, be true to yourself. Dig down inside and don’t put your fingers to the keyboard until you can write from a place of deep honesty. If you can read back over what you’ve written at the end of the page and admit that every word of it is you, then allow me to congratulate you. You’ve found your voice.