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Reading exercises to aid recovery from stroke

kthxbeth — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 09:41:36 -0800

I had a stroke three months ago, and although I’ve lost very little functionality, I would like to find some sort of exercises to improve my reading and writing capability. I’m 28 years old, and had a stroke at the end of April. I had no physical symptoms, but did lose my ability to speak and write for about 36 hours (with improvement beginning after about 24 hours). I felt like I was probably back to 95% of my capability for reading and writing—80% for my speech—after about a week.

I am a copyeditor, and reading/editing has always just come sort of naturally to me. I have not taken any courses in proofreading or editing, although I intend to do that this year (had lined that up before the stroke).

I’m concerned though because I seem to have lost some of my native ability to catch errors. Worse, I stop at words or sentences where I think I see an error, which then turn out to have none (I read “recommendation” as “recommend” today, for example). I’ve been switching letters in words, words in sentences, and numbers, so I end up having to check things three or four times.

I’d like to find some sort of exercises that could potentially return my reading skills to their former level. I thought perhaps reading a lot on the side might help, but I am easily frustrated because I am reading more slowly than ever before.

I’m not sure what sort of exercises I should be looking for (speed reading, maybe?), or if something like that would even necessarily help, but I figure it’s worth a try. Any suggestions?

How can I get money I am owed from a UK based employer going bust?

semidivine — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:52:24 -0800

The UK based company I have been working for is going under (I am in the US... I was hired as their Los Angeles based Art Director last November.) They never got the US corporation together so I was always payed as a contractor, month to month, for which I had to invoice them, always with the promise that as soon as they got the US corporation established I would get my pay as a salary with benefits like health insurance. The only binding agreement I had with them was a signed offer letter which set my yearly salary, bonus terms and equity. Without any warning last week they told all their employees (and contract workers like me) that they were out of funding, after they had assured us that the company was fine financially until the end of March, so no one has been paid for February or any of March. So they owe me a lot of money for work I've already done. There is talk now of restructuring the company with an "insolvency practitioner" and doing a CVA (Company Voluntary Arrangement,) all British terms that I am unfamiliar with. I know it is something like bankruptcy. Does anybody know anything about this? Is there any way I can stake my claim so that if this does happen, I am at least in line to get some or all of what is owed to me? Is there something I should be filing, and if so with whom? I am still officially working for them (even though I haven't been doing any work since this whole debacle began about a week ago... there is nothing to do) because I haven't quit and I haven't been officially let go. Can anybody help?