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Protecting Bright Futures
AUGUST 2019
Bright Futures Bulletin
Embracing theBack- to-School Season Getting That Fresh Start
When I was growing up, I loved going back to school in August. Going shopping for school supplies was so exciting: the thrill of getting new pencils, three-ring binders (Trapper Keeper, of course), erasers, Wite-Out, a pencil pouch, and a new backpack, just to name a few of my favorites. Of course, I have to mention all the shopping for new clothes and shoes, providing an opportunity to reinvent my look. It’s the fresh start that is so appealing; you’re starting with a clean slate with new teachers, new classes, and maybe some new friends. There’s so much potential and so many possibilities. For many students, they may struggle in school one year, but each new school year provides an opportunity to change that. I’ve been thinking about something: Wouldn’t it be nice if adults could start new every August? After much contemplation, I've decided we can. Once a quarter at PhyllisLaw.com, we look at the business and review our data to determine what we are doing well and what we can improve on. We are constantlyworking on new ideas to improve the customer experience. We employ the assistance of a business coach to help us make an honest assessment of the firm. At a quarterly two-dayworkshop, Coach Doug helps us set goals, make a plan for how to reach those goals, and execute the plan. Happy Back-to-School Season! In our personal lives, each of us can do the same thing. Individuals and families alike can have quarterly assessments. It is important to set goals: for health and wellness, academic goals, professional goals, etc. Next, identify action items for howyou plan to reach the goal. And most, importantly, set deadlines.
Our firm’s mission is to provide second chances to good people who have made mistakes because we believe that everyone deserves a second chance. We strive to find the opportunities to wipe the slate clean, as if we are going back to school for a newyear. In the spirit of fresh starts, we have a special offering for the months of August and September. We will file a motion to seal any criminal record for $500 for those who qualify. If you have been arrested and want to see if your criminal record can be cleared, contact us. Also, even if your arrest doesn't appear on your criminal record, it may still be subject to an open records request at the courthouse. To protect yourself from such disclosures, you must go one step further by sealing the record. If you have an old conviction on your record and you have not been in trouble since then, you may be able to reopen your case and avail yourself to first offender treatment. Each case will have to be analyzed individually. Happy back-to-school season to children of all ages. Maywe all avail ourselves of opportunities to start fresh!
–Phyllis Gingrey Collins
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Establishing a Bedtime Routine for the School Year You’re Getting Very Sleepy ...
Anyone who has a teenager should read this article and immediately thereafter, go check your kid’s phone. You should be especially wary of Snapchat. Most kids genuinely believe they can send anything they want over Snapchat and it will disappear forever after it is opened. Some teenagers are exchanging nude photos using Snapchat. Transferring and viewing sexually explicit material of a minor is considered child pornography. So, if your 15-year-old daughter sends a nude photo to her 15-year- old boyfriend, they are both in trouble. If your son is exchanging nude photos found on the Snapchat? The Importance of Social Media Education Between vacations, bonfires, and sporting tournaments, your children’s sleep schedule probably went on break when they did this summer. With school fast approaching, it’s vital to get your kids back on a proper sleep schedule. In fact, according to the National Sleep Foundation, getting enough sleep can significantly improve a child’s growth and cognitive function. But getting a restful night’s sleep is easier said than done when kids have had almost complete freedom for three months. Try these tips to get your kids snoozing through August and prepared for school. Start Early and Go Slowly When practicing this tip, think of the old adage: “It takes 21 days to break a habit.” If your kids have been going to bed late this summer, set a time when they must go to bed, but don’t make it too far off the time Does Your Teen Use
internet, he is going to be in big trouble if it turns out the person in the photo is under 16. Do not assume your kids would never do that. Go check the phone. It is not something that only “bad kids” do; most kids are curious at this age. But they must be educated about the consequences of possessing nude photos on their phones. I’m here to tell you that the data extraction processes being utilized today by law enforcement are very sophisticated. Extraction is defined as the recovery of data from media (cellphone, computer, iPad, etc.). Data that can be recovered from a cellphone includes photos, videos, text messages, contact lists, banking details, GPS location history, emails, etc., but this also includes deleted data. The extraction can be manual or logical. Manual (aka physical) extraction recovers data across the entire physical drive without regard to the file system. In logical extraction, the forensic tools communicate with the operating system of the mobile device using an application programming interface (API), which specifies how software components they have been regularly hitting the hay. If they shuffle off to bed around 10 p.m., push their bedtime to 9:45 p.m., and then push it back to 9:30 p.m. one week later. Slowly work your way back to an appropriate time, and bedtime will be easier when school starts. Make It Easy Though the days may be getting shorter, it’s still relatively light out at night, making it nearly impossible for your kids to doze offwhen they should. Sleep experts recommend creating a sleeping space that mimics a cave: dark, cool, and quiet. This means sunlight shouldn’t sneak into the room, and the home should be a quiet zone after bedtime. No one wants to sleep while everyone else is having fun, so it’s important that everyone in the home is quiet at bedtime. Just Relax This is a rule your family should followyear- round, not just when you want to reestablish a
interact. The API communicates with the mobile device operating system and requests the data from the system. Simply put, the forensic analyst plugs the cellphone into a device and retrieves the data. The typical data available via a logical extraction are call logs, text messages, Snapchat messages, group texts, images, videos, and audio files. Here’s the bottom line: Any transaction that occurs on the cell phone is subject to extraction from law enforcement. Educate your kids about this and show them real life examples if they do not believe you. Recently, over 50 students in Union County, Georgia, were in hot water with the school system over the exchange of nude photos. Fortunately for the students, the school did not refer the case to the police, instead opting to suspend many of the students. At PhyllisLaw.com, we believe that we can protect our kids if we educate them. We encourage parents to maintain open communication with their teenagers. They need us to guide them through these challenging years. routine. At a certain time each night, begin the nightlywind-down. For example, at 8 p.m. shut off your screens, put on pajamas, and engage in a relaxing activity, like reading a book or doing some yoga. Signaling to your body and your family that it’s time for bed will help your kiddos, and you, fall asleep at an appropriate time.
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SUDOKU BREAK Solution on pg. 4
Meet Our Team! THEWOMEN OF PHYLLIS LAW We have grown over 200% in the last 12 months, and all that growth is due to the awesome team we have built at PhyllisLaw.com. If you haven’t already met them, please allow me to introduce them. GANNON heads up our intake process. She is the first person you will talk to when you call the firm. She can usually answer most of the questions on the minds of our prospective clients. If she can’t answer a question, she’s committed to finding the right response. Gannon also leads our referral partner program. That means when you call us looking for a divorce attorney or something else we do not specialize in, Gannon will get you to the right person. We have vetted everyone in our referral partner program — we already know, like, and trust them. Hopefully that takes the stress off you so you can focus on the important legal issue at hand. ALI & HANNAH take care of all customer support. All our clients receive a monthly call from Ali or Hannah to touch base on the status of their case and to answer any questions. They keep track of any and all documents associated with your case. Most importantly, they make sure you do not miss any deadlines associated with your case. MARY supports the entire team. We would not make it one day without her. She makes sure we are fully stocked with office supplies, keeps all the files organized, manages the calendar with our court dates, and ensures any and all pleadings are filed correctly and on time. Additionally, Mary heads up our social media campaign. LINDSAY is the associate attorney
Summertime Gazpacho
Inspired by CookieAndKate.com
Gazpacho, an Andalusian soup made of blended vegetables and traditionally served cold, is the perfect refresher on a warm summer day.
Ingredients
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2 1/2 lbs ripe tomatoes; cored, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks ● 1 small cucumber; peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch chunks ● 1 red bell pepper; cored, seeded, and sliced into ribbons
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● 1 small Vidalia onion, peeled and cubed ● 1/4 cup basil leaves ● 1 clove garlic, peeled ● 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil ● 2 tbsp sherry vinegar ● Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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Directions
extraordinaire. She is a relentless advocate for our clients. She and I work very closely together to ensure the best results possible for each client. At PhyllisLaw.com, we know the value of a good team. We are stronger together than we are apart. Each of us has the common goal of protecting bright futures, one client at a time. We believe everyone deserves to earn a second chance.
1. Place a blender and medium mixing bowl on your workstation. 2. Divide the tomato chunks, cucumber pieces, and bell pepper slices evenly between blender and bowl. Place entire onion in blender. 3. Add basil, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper to blender. Blend on low, gradually raising speed to high until smooth, about 2 minutes. 4. Add blender contents to bowl and mix until just broken up, about 10–20 seconds. 5. Let mixture sit in fridge for a minimum of 2 hours. Transfer to bowls and serve.
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www.PhyllisLaw.com | 404.514.3397 278 N. Marietta Pkwy NE | Marietta, GA 30060
Solution from pg. 3
Inside This Issue
Back to School 1
Get Your Kids Back on a Sleep Schedule
Does Your Teen Use Snapchat? 2
TheWomen of Phyllis Law
Summertime Gazpacho 3
The Art of Stargazing 4
The Art of Stargazing
Modern humans are stuck in a routine of expected and constant industriousness. But with all this rushing, people often drag themselves home at night with no energy left to enjoy the most splendid show nature has to offer: the wondrous night sky. Most people go through life looking straight ahead, but if theywould stop and peer skyward, they’d bear witness to a massive, unexplored frontier made up of the moon in all its phases, burning stars sailing through the sky, constellations with epic origin stories, and meteor showers bright enough to warrant sunglasses. If you’re looking for a hobby to help you slow down and appreciate the world around you, stargazing is a great option. Here are some tips to get you started. 1. The Higher, the Better If you’re a city dweller, meander a little way out of town or try to find a tall building to keep the light pollution to a minimum. 2. Extra Set of Eyes While novice stargazers often want to immediately throw their money at a new telescope, astronomy experts recommend starting with binoculars instead. You’ll need to
identify several anchor planets or constellations to help you navigate the sky before using a telescope. 3. Utilize Assets Put your phone to good use by downloading apps like Stellarium, Starwalk, and Google Sky Map. Each of these apps offers a unique benefit for aspiring stargazers. For example, Starwalk lets you point your phone at the sky to see stars, constellations, and planets in real time based on your location. 4. Mark Your Calendar In 1972, beloved singer- songwriter John Denver wrote about a meteor shower he witnessed during a camping trip in Colorado. He describes the scene by singing, “I’ve seen it raining fire in the sky.” The “fire” he recounted was actually the Perseids meteor shower, the most recognized shower on Earth. This astrological wonder takes place every year from July 17 to Aug. 24. During this time, viewers should be able to see shooting stars associated with the Perseids, but the shower reaches its maximum rate of activity on Aug. 12–13 this year. Grab some friends and family, and head outdoors to put your newfound stargazing knowledge to work.
Helping Humans Slow Down and Look Up
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