Like almost every sport in the world, soccer is on hold at the moment. In every major league in Europe, competition has been paused with championships undecided, fixtures unfulfilled, and players and fans waiting with bated breath. The focus is, quite rightly, on ensuring that conditions are safe before anyone can set foot in a football stadium again, but that hasn’t stopped fans from asking when they might be likely to see the current campaign resolved – if any resolution is possible at all.

One team that has more reason to be anxious than any other is Liverpool in the English Premier League. The Anfield side has been almost unstoppable this season, racking up win after win to the point where they’re 25 points ahead of Manchester City with only 27 points left to play for. City have one game in hand on their rivals, and so to be absolutely sure of lifting the trophy, Liverpool needs just six more points from nine games. In soccer terms, that’s as certain as anything could possibly be. It would seem wrong to rob them of their inevitable victory, but if the season is declared to be null and void – as some Premier League bosses believe to be the only way forward – that’s precisely what would happen.

The situation in soccer when it comes to cancellations is a little more complicated than it is with most American sports. If the English Premier League season is declared to be canceled and voided then not only are Liverpool denied their championship, but the three teams at the bottom of the table – currently Bournemouth, Aston Villa, and Norwich City, are rescued from dropping into the division beneath the Premier League via relegation. That would be a lucky break for them, but it would also deny promotion to the three highest-achieving teams in the division below. Those teams are currently Leeds United, West Bromwich Albion, and Fulham.

The amount of money that’s involved in promotion and relegation in the English Premier League is astronomical. Teams who enter the league via promotion receive a massive influx of cash from sponsorship and television money. Teams who are relegated lose out on it. That’s why the race to stay in the division is always as exciting as the race to win it. It’s like a constantly-spinning game fishing frenzy mobile slot, played with the highest stakes imaginable, with sometimes unforeseen consequences. This season it looks like it could be more like online slots than any season before it because the ultimate winners and losers could have no more control over their fate than an online slots player has over the next spin of the wheel – and it’s hard to imagine the teams vying for promotion accepting the cancellation of the season without a legal battle.

As unappetizing as a legal challenge from the teams denied promotion might be for the country’s football authorities, the reverse could be just as true if the season is allowed to stand. Should Liverpool be awarded the championship based on their current position, the bottom three clubs would also have to be relegated. As none of them are mathematically beyond salvation, they would be unlikely to accept that position. If the fixtures were fulfilled, all three of them could play their way out of danger with a few victories. Condemning the teams to relegation – with all the financial consequences that come along with it – would be a brutal way to treat them and their supporters.

As nobody knows when or if the current season can be resumed, all of the major European competitions have been watching and waiting to see who blinks first, and how they handle the situation. After a long wait, Scotland has been the first significant country to blink. Following consultation with their clubs and a vote on the matter, every Scottish division below the country’s top-flight has declared its season over, and awarded championship trophies to the teams currently sitting on top of the pile. Relegations have also been ordered. Partick Thistle, who were bottom of the Championship but only two points behind Queen of the South with a game in hand, have already indicated that they’re prepared to take legal action to protect their status. The battle may not be over, but the ball has started rolling. With every league below the Scottish Premiership declared, the Scottish Premiership must now decide its own fate. It’s hard to imagine how it could do anything other than follow suit.

The winners of the Scottish Premiership are entered into the qualification rounds of the European Champions League. So far, Champions League organizers UEFA have refused to be drawn on the issue of whether they’ll allow teams into the competition from leagues that have been declared early rather than played to completion. If the Scottish Premiership declares early, UEFA would be forced into making a decision on the matter. That, in turn, would probably inform the decisions of every other significant European league – from the English Premier League to Italy’s Serie A, Spain’s La Liga, and Germany’s Bundesliga. If one of the leagues says that carrying on is out of the question, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of them followed suit.

If the Scottish trend is followed, it’s actually good news for Liverpool. It would mean that their league position would be cemented, and they would be declared champions of their domestic league for the first time in thirty years. For some fans, though, that may not be enough. Their victory would always be marked by an asterisk, and it would have come at the expense of three teams being relegated from the competition who may not have been relegated if they’d been allowed to resume playing in July or August. These are huge, consequential decisions for the European heads of football to be taking, and there are no easy answers. With seemingly no realistic prospect of football being played between now and the end of summer, the window of opportunity for the season to be finished via normal means is closing rapidly. The choice is between letting results stand, or voiding them completely. It’s going to be a very interesting few weeks in football.

 

As we know, NSandI (known better as NS&I) is an acronym for National Savings and Investments. NS&I are investments backed by the treasury. In this article we will cover how to change NS&I details, including Premium Bonds change of address. We will also cover how Premium Bonds work and how to make the most out of them.

How Premium Bonds Work

Premium bonds don’t work like other investments. As we know, traditionally you invest money which earns you interest year on year – hopefully a lot. With Premium Bonds you can invest from £25 up to £50,000. Each ‘bond’ represents a ticket which is entered into a monthly raffle from which you can win prizes – up to £1,000,000. All of the prizes are tax free and if you were to translate the prizes into an interest rate it would work out to be around 1.25%. You can learn more about how premium bonds work here.

The odds of you winning for each £1 number are 24,500 to 1. It’s important to remember that Premium Bonds are not advised for people who:

• Would like a regular income (such as with a traditional investment account);
• Inflation is a concern for you (which is important as inflation will erode 1-3% off the value of your money each year);
• You would like to invest jointly with someone else; or,
• You would like guaranteed returns.

They are, however, recommended if you:

• Would like to take advantage of tax-free investment opportunities
• If you have at least £25 to invest
• Would like the chance to win up to £1,000,000 a month in prizes
• Prefer 100% security on your money (all the money is totally protected as it is Government-backed)
• Or, are looking for a gift for someone under the age of 16

Now we’ve provided an overview of how Premium Bonds work, let’s look at how you update your address or change your details with NS&I.

How to change address with Premium Bonds

Now, let’s look at how to update your details with Premium Bonds. Updating your address includes your name, email address, physical address. If you want to update your address with Premium Bonds you can get started on SlothMove’s moving home platform. If you’re looking to update your details you can log into NS&I and will need to provide your NS&I number, password and surname.

If you are unable to log in you can ask for a password reset. Alternatively, you can complete a change of details form which you can print out send across to: NS&I, Sunderland, SR43 2SB

Changing address for Premium Bonds and going forward

As we can see, updating your details and changing address with Premium Bonds isn’t all too difficult. We’ve also seen the benefits and drawbacks of using Premium Bonds. Ultimately, it needs to be a balanced and well thought-through decision based on your circumstances.

About the author

This article was written by Anna, founder of SlothMove an online change of address service created to make moving home and updating information straightforward and simple.

 

The legal practice known as family law focuses on those issues which involve all manner of family relationships. These include adoption, child custody, divorce and many more. Those attorneys who practice family law, like the ones you can find on this website, don’t only represent their clients in a family court proceeding. They also deal with any relatable negotiations and draft such legal documents as property agreements or court petitions. So why would you hire a family law attorney? Here are 5 reasons why.

Divorce

With half of all American marriages failing, the life of the divorce attorney is a busy and lucrative one. Where children are involved, however, the family law attorney will take care of that side of the proceeding. Most parents want their divorces to be as smooth and stress-free as possible to protect their children from any of the backlash, and it’s the job of the family law attorney to try and make that happen.

Child Custody

One of the nastiest aspects of a relationship breakdown is child custody. Whether married or not, if a couple cannot decide who gets custody of the kids it will become a legal matter. If mediation doesn’t work the last step is usually to go to court. The fact that the children involved may have to actually testify and say which parent they want to live with makes many parents stop before it reaches this stage. On the flip side, if one parent is known to be violent or a possible threat to the children the family law attorney will do their best to make sure the other parent gets custody and protect them from the other parent.

Alimony

Alimony payments are one of the most acrimonious parts of the whole divorce process. How much is enough? Is the wife being greedy or trying to claim a reasonable amount? If the alimony payment stops the custodial parent often stops the other seeing the children and that’s when it can get really nasty. A lot of family law attorneys have reported this is their most commonly undertaken work.

Domestic Violence

If you have suffered physical or mental cruelty at the hands of your partner then you should seek the guidance of a family law attorney. In recent years the reported incidents of domestic violence have risen sharply. Many believe this to be due to the recession as with so many losing their jobs, or homes, or both, they have taken out their frustration on their partner. There has also been a marked increase in the males of the partnership being on the receiving end. Again, this has been blamed on the recession with their partners being angry at them no longer supporting the family and resorting to violence. Whether this is true or just being used as an excuse, is for a judge to decide.

Relocation Actions

An example of a relocation issue is if the custodial parent wants to move to another state or country, and take the children with them, the estranged partner may hire an attorney to fight the relocation. Likewise, the custodian may research prior to the move to see what objections the other parent can raise.

 

 

Having a happy and healthy work environment has an impact that goes well beyond the wellness of your team. Happy and healthy employees are more productive, engaged and motivated to work towards the company’s goals. They’re also much less likely to suffer from absenteeism and presenteeism.

Unfortunately, creating a physically and psychologically healthy work environment is easier said than done, particularly if your company has a toxic culture that you need to overcome. However, that doesn’t mean it can’t be achieved. Here are 4 simple tips to help you get there.

1. Build trust

Before taking steps to increase the physical health of your workers, you need to create a culture that supports them psychologically. According to the staffing agency Adecco, honesty, trust and fairness are the most important attributes in the workplace for 90 percent of employees. Building trust takes time but it is achievable if you follow these simple rules:

• Own up to your mistakes and make amends
• Make promises and keep them
• Make firm commitments
• Communicate with your team and give them regular updates
• Discuss the obstacles you face and how you plan to overcome them

1. Promote wellness

You can put a range of benefits in place that will help to promote the physical and mental wellness of your team. Those benefits do not need to be expensive and any costs are likely to be repaid in the form of increased staff retention, reduced absenteeism and a boost to productivity.

Workplace exercise programmes like weekly yoga sessions and free massages can boost physical wellness, while supplying healthy food, such as regular office fruit baskets can give your team more energy and improve their concentration, outlook and mood. You can read more on these benefits here.

1. Recognise and reward

Another way to keep motivation and spirits high is to recognise the efforts of your team and make sure they are rewarded. It’s amazing how simple but incredibly effective a little recognition can be. Just 60 seconds out of your day can completely change the outlook of your team. It’s the little things that matter, and simply sending an email for a milestone achieved or taking the team to coffee or lunch can make a huge difference to morale.

1. Invest in ergonomic office furniture

Office workers can spend up to 8 hours a day sitting at a desk. Add in commuting time and you have a health problem that’s waiting to happen. 8.9 million working days were lost in the UK last year due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. As well as the working days lost, the pain associated with such disorders can damage productivity and do considerable harm to morale. Investing in ergonomic office furniture and installing standing desks can be a simple and cost-effective solution.

What changes have you made to create a healthier working environment for your team? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.

 

Tired of trying to prove you’re the better parent? Understanding the basics of child custody and the court’s “better parent” standard can help you win a child custody battle against a deadbeat parent. Here’s how to leave the stress of your custody battle behind by proving you’re the better parent.

Winning Sole Custody

If you’re interested in seeking sole custody, it’s important to familiarize yourself with child custody laws in your jurisdiction. Familiarizing yourself with the appropriate child custody laws can help you prepare to present yourself in court as the “better parent.” It’s important to remember that the court’s primary concern is the best interests of your child. Depending on your situation, this may or may not involve a sole custody ruling.

The “Better Parent” Standard

Many parents enter child custody hearings to gain sole custody of their children. While some parents believe that the other parent is a deadbeat or unfit to raise their children, some parents hope to gain sole custody for other reasons. If you’re hoping to win child custody, it’s essential to realize that winning sole custody requires a higher burden of proof.

To win sole custody, a parent must prove to the court that they are the “better parent.” Meeting the burden of proof can be challenging, especially if both parents were involved in the child’s upbringing before the custody hearing.

Winning sole custody is also difficult becomes many judges are hesitant to prevent either parent from fostering a relationship with their child. Consequently, any parent looking to gain sole custody must prove that he or she is best able to care for the child without the help of the other parent.

Meeting the “Better Parent” Standard

Parents seeking sole custody must focus on the physical and psychological well-being of the child to prove that they’re the “better parent.” For instance, demonstrate that sole custody would encourage a healthier lifestyle for your child in terms of routine, sleeping and eating habits, and after-school activities. Additionally, support your child’s mental well-being by allowing your child to foster a relationship with the other parent through liberal visitations.

It’s also important to keep in mind that parents should not “trash” each other during a custody hearing. Instead of “trashing” the other parent, consider talking to your lawyer about demonstrating that the other parent is unfit to raise your child. GoLookUp, an online information database, provides mugshots, arrest records, and reverse phone lookups that can help you present evidence that the other parent is unfit. Presenting evidence during your child custody hearing can help prove that you’re the better parent without attacking your counterpart.

Consider Joint Custody

Sometimes, neither parent wins child custody. When the judge fails to determine that either parent is the better parent, he or she rules in favor of joint custody, which can involve joint legal custody or joint physical custody. Parents seeking custody must realize that a joint custody ruling is not necessarily a loss.

In many situations, joint custody rulings suit the best interests of the child. Joint custody rulings allow both parents to share equal parenting responsibilities and make it easier for both parents to foster a proper relationship with their child.

In the case of a joint custody ruling, parents must work together to create a parenting schedule. While many states require a written parenting plan, writing down your intentions and establishing a written schedule can benefit both the parents and the child.

If you’re seeking sole custody understanding the “better parent” standard is essential. To learn more about the basics of child custody, contact an expert attorney at Johnson & Taylor LLC. Ultimately, there’s nothing more important than the well-being of your children.