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2008-07-25T18:26:00.001-07:00

Glass Computer Desk
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2008-07-25T08:23:00.003-07:00

Convection Toaster Oven

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2008-07-25T08:23:00.001-07:00

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2008-07-25T08:22:00.000-07:00

7 Inch Digital Frame

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Finding The Best Realtor

2008-07-20T17:40:00.001-07:00

Author : Ingrid Macher

Finding the appropriate time to leave behind the unforgettable moments that you experienced in your home is sometimes stressful, but it"s always the time to move forward to get a new investment. Statistics in Las Vegas real estate show that the average family is ready to jump into a new home almost every 5 years, so how you interview the best candidate is going to help you to sell your most valuable asset and move to the next step of finding your next "dream home." Here is some advice for you:

Find an agent with a marketing plan that is designed to incorporate all the resources, tools, and systems accomplishing your goals and needs as the seller of a real state property.

Look for somebody who is going to get you the most amount of money in the least amount of time and the least amount of inconvenience.

Sometimes looking around and interviewing so many candidates can make you confused because everyone uses different strategies to get you sold. It is important that you get focused and express all your concerns and necesities to the candidates that you interview.

Pay attention to the different marketing plans they offer to you. Ask questions all the time about the different steps that happen through the transaction process. Make sure you understand everything they say and take notes. This way, in the end of your process to find a Las Vegas Realtor, you have specific notes about the agent you are going to hire and all the promises and commitments this person is going to do for you to get you through the process of selling your home or buying a new one.

Select the agent that looks professional, acts professional, and most importantly, shows you that he or she knows what they are doing. This is why it is important to see if the agent uses current technologies, advertising, and all other marketing strategies available to get your home exposed everywhere in the real estate market.

Ask for the seller service pledge. What this includes, is all the strategies and services that this agent is willing to provide for you. Especially, it is important your agent provides excellent customer service for you and the possible buyers interested in your home. Ask to review all the offers and aquire feedback from all the Las Vegas Realtors and buyers that visit your home. This way, you will get different opinions from people referring to your home, which will help you to get the right price or maybe fix a couple things that will improve your home"s appeal to the next possible buyers.

The most important suggestion is not to base your decision on who gives you the best price for their services, but to find the agent that is most qualified based on their qualities, abilities, and array of services. Sometimes when you spend less, will cost you more in the end, because your agent matters.

And remember, don"t be nervous to leave the beautiful moments that you have in your own home, because changes always bring the best.

About the author:

Ingrid Macher is a Real Estate Agent in the Las Vegas, NV and Henderson, NV areas. If you have any unanswered questions, you can reach her at her website - http://www.lvrealproperties.com/

Category : Real Estate

Selecting A Credit Counselor; Asking The Right Questions.

2008-04-25T00:00:00.001-07:00

Author : David Wilding
When you find yourself thinking about using a credit counseling service, you need to be very
careful. You need someone who will help you, not just some pushy sales associate who wants
only to sign you up for their service.You are about to place your financial life in someone elseâ™s hands. Make sure you have the
answers to some questions before you do. Then make sure you like the answers to your questions.
Here are some for starters:Which of my creditors have you worked with in the past?You have a list of your creditors. You want to compare it to the creditors they have workedwith in the past. Have they been successful working with your creditors in reducing payments,lowering interest, and eliminating fees?You need to know not all creditors will work with credit counselors. If all, or most, of yourcreditors have, or will, you should investigate these services further. If not, credit counseling
wonâ™t do you much good. To protect yourself, ask for a list (in writing) of any of your
creditors they have worked with in the past.Will my creditors be paid on time each month?Two things come into play here. What are the due dates of each creditor and when during the
month do you get paid? Nothing defeats the purpose faster than paying a creditor late, after
you have set up a new payment schedule.Some credit counseling services use a set date each month to make payments from the money
you have given them. If they donâ™t have your creditors change the due date you could be
socked with late fees each month. Find a service that adjusts the due dates of your bills to
work around the days you get paid.How do I pay you each month?The credit counselor canâ™t pay your creditors until you pay them each month. Will theyremove money, each month, from your account with an electronic transfer or are yourequired to send them a guaranteed check or money order? You want to make it as easy aspossible for this plan to work. Look for a service that will withdraw funds from youraccount automatically each month.When and how often will I get statements of my accounts?Just because you have turned over a portion of your financial life to someone else to run,
does not mean you donâ™t need to keep track of what is going on. Your statements should
break down your payments so you can see where the money is going. How much is going to
interest, how much to the principal balances, and how much is being paid to the credit
counseling service.Who can I call?When you have a problem or question can you speak with someone on the phone? Are you
able to speak to the same counselor each time? If not, how long do you take to returns
phone calls?Do this up front. Make sure you can live with the answers you receive. Then test the service
to see if they live up to what they have said. Check their service out before you sign on the
bottom line. If you find that you canâ™t get questions answered or telephone calls returned
look for another service. Going through credit counseling is stressful enough without any
added problems.These questions will give you a good idea what kind of service you have found. There are other
questions you may ask. If you think of any do not hesitate to ask and donâ™t stop asking until you
get the answers you need. It is your money.David Wilding works with both individuals and groups to help them rid their lives of debt. For the past ten years he has attempted to change attitudes toward and acceptance of personal debt. Visit his website http://www.debtattack.com for more ideas, tools, and strategies to become debt free.
Category : GPS

How to Braid Hair

2008-04-14T04:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Jean Feingold
Hair braiding is a way to style hair you can do at home, but it does involve a learning process. Once you know how to braid hair, you can transform your own or someone else's hair into a cute new style in just a few minutes. Here are some easy instructions on how to braid hair.

To braid another person's hair or do the front of your own head

The hair should be clean and dry. If it is wavy or curly, you may want to blow dry it straight first to make the braid more even. Add some styling gel to smooth any flyaways and make the hair more manageable. Comb the hair to remove tangles.

Divide the hair into three even sections. Place the left section between your left index finger and thumb, let the middle section hang free and place the right section between your right index finger and thumb.

Hold the middle section with your right middle finger and pull it so it passes behind the right section. Extend your right thumb and index finger so the right portion of hair becomes the new middle section.

Using the left middle finger, pull the middle section behind the left section. Extend or straighten the left index finger and thumb to move the left section into the middle.

Shift the portion of hair hooked in the right middle finger so it sits between the right index finger and thumb. Repeat the process. Then shift the portion of the hair hooked in the left middle finger so it sits between the left index finger and thumb.

Continue until the braid is the desired length. For a tighter, more compact braid, pull the middle section into a horizontal line as you move it to the right or left. If you prefer a loose, elongated braid, simply shift the middle section to the right or left, letting it remain in a vertical line.

When the braid is done, secure the end of the hair with a covered rubber band. Add a bow or barrette as desired.
Be sure to pull the portions of hair as evenly as possible so the tension remains consistent. If the tension is tighter on one side, your braid will twist to one side instead of lying flat. Avoid pulling too hard, as this may lead to hair damage.

Braiding the back of your own hair

Comb your hair before you begin and remove any tangles. Divide the hair into three even sections. Some people have found that if you braid your hair when it's damp, say 30 minutes to an hour after a shower or bath, it does not get frizzy and is easier to work with.

Lift your left elbow to shoulder height and make a thumbs down fist around the left portion of hair. Do the same on the right side, letting the middle portion lie against your spine.

Extend your left index finger and hook the right section of hair. Pull it in front of the middle section, letting it slip completely out of the right hand. Take the middle section of hair with your right hand, pull it to the right side, and then resume the thumbs down fist position with both hands.

Extending your right index finger, hook the far left portion of hair and let it slip completely out of the left hand. Shift the portion of hair in your left hand into a thumbs down fist and then release the left index finger. Make a thumbs down fist with your right hand and then use your left index finger to hook the far right section.

Continue the process until the braid is complete. To braid very long hair, you may have to free a hand to pull the sections through. Secure the braid as it develops by pressing your knuckles into it as you shift your hands for the next cross. Use a covered elastic to secure the finished braid and decorate as desired.

Experiment with using different hand positions. You may discover a technique that works better for you.

Practice leads to success

The first time you try to braid hair, it will go slowly. Practice your technique and be patient until you know how to braid hair. It may take some time to discover your rhythm. Braiding will become much easier with the more times you do it.

If you're braiding a young child's hair, ask that she keep her head still. Give her a hand mirror so she can watch you do the braiding. If her hair is too thin and fine for an elastic to hold the braid, use pipe cleaners. These come in many colors and children usually have them readily available.

When you're learning how to braid hair, it might help to visit a hair salon where they do braiding and watch the stylists braid their clients' hair. Another good practice technique is to braid the hair of a doll or hair mannequin.

How to Become a Bodybuilding Champion - The Art of Visualization!

2008-04-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Greg Ryan
See the ball, be the ball! Heard that before? See the muscle, feel the muscle. Bet you have not heard that one. Before a muscle can develop you have to feel it move. It is more about feeling the muscle work through the minds eye than the weight itself. The ultimate goal is to be able to do your entire workout in your head and with your eyes closed.Winning competitions is also about timing. Four months prior to the 1988. Jr. Mr. Michigan bodybuilding championships I wrote on a piece of paper, âœI am Mr. Michiganâ This allowed my minds eye to visualize it and help it come to pass. The day of my competition was the best shape I had ever been in. The power of visualizing and writing became my minds eyeâ™s reality. Never underestimate the power of seeing things first.Here are some visualization techniques to help you get closer in becoming a champion:Pre-Workout Exercise:Each time you go to the gym exercise your mind before you enter the place. Go over your entire workout in your mind first.Pre-Set Exercise:Before every set take a few extra seconds to go through every rep of that set in your mind. You may be surprised what this can do for muscle growth.Blind Sets:Depending upon which exercise it is, try closing your eyes while you perform a set. This forces you to feel the weight more.What ever technique you use is up to you just remember though, before you achieve something you have to see it in your head.START LOSING WEIGHT THE RIGHT WAY FOR GOOD TODAY!
click here http://www.resolutions.bz Discover the common sense way to lose
weight with out dieting that the doctorâ™s DONâ™T want you to know.
Greg Ryan is a best selling author, former employee of Kathy Smith,
and high profile fitness expert.
Category : Philosophy

Dog Coat Health

2008-04-08T05:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Matthew Seigneur
Dog Coat HealthKeeping your dogâ™s coat healthy and clean is a very important to maintaining a healthy and happy dog. The largest organ on your dogâ™s body is his skin and hair. Keeping your dogs' coat in good health is paramount, after, of course, letting your dog know how much you love them!Most dog owners know to look for parasites on the skin but, what you may not know is that internal diseases such as liver disease, adrenal gland disease or thyroid gland disease can show itself through abnormal symptoms in the dogs' skin and hair. So, it is very important to examine and groom your dog so you can detect any abnormalities early.Regular grooming will help decrease such infections like skin and ear infections. And you will be able to notice any abnormal skin discoloring or irritations.Bathing and brushing on a regular basis can help keep your dogâ™s skin and coat free from bacteria that can cause infection. Bathing with a 'natural' and very mildly antiseptic coat care lotion can also keep down your dogs' chance of flea infestations. Be also careful not to bath your dog too much or that could cause skin irritation, flaking and more.If your Dog is ok (not himself, but his skin & coat!) with being bathed regularly, weekly bathing will keep down the doggie odor, encourage a healthy coat and skin, and also get your dog use to bathing. If your dog loves the outdoors and like to roam, then he may need to be bathed more than once a week. If he encounters a skunk while on his journey, he will need an immediate bath!Why brush your dog?Mats in the coat are the main reason! Mats can be uncomfortable, and can cause destruction of the skin, and parasites can hide in the mats.If your dog scratches the matted areas, he will pull his skin, which will cause him to hurt and possibly bruise his skin - ouch! Help your dog stay comfortable by brushing him often. Remember the longer the coat the more brushing that will be necessary. If you can not remove the mats by brushing, you can clip the mats very carefully by using ablunt pair of scissors and being careful not to pull the skin. The most important thing to remember is to brush often so your dog will not get mats in his coat and this problem will disappear.Your dog will soon begin to enjoy his bath time and quality time with you. You will be able to keep a happy and healthy dog for a long time. You will enjoy bath time with your dog as you see him enjoying the attention and the attitude after he is clean and shiny... Just make sure you dry him well, and don't let him outside as he may roll in anything he can to get his preferred 'smell' back! About the Author

http://www.dog-pictures.co.uk/ A dog lovers website with plenty of dog breed information and pictures.http://www.dog-pictures.co.uk/dog-supplements/ provides dog supplements and dog health care information.
Category : Arts & Entertainment

The Symbolism Behind an Anchor Tattoo and Anchor Tattoo Design

2008-04-06T08:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Chris Ryerson
Anchor tattoos were all the rage for sailors. It was often the symbol of a very experienced sailor. Anchor tattoo designs are one of the oldest types of tattoos. However with an interest in all things retro and chic these have come back into fashion. In fact in the tattoo field as a whole retro tattoo designs have been experiencing a resurgence. These retro tattoo designs have come back to life with new more vibrant tattoo colors, designs and placements on the body. This trend originated on the west coast mostly and has even become known as west coast tattoo style.Retro themes in tattoo designs are especially popular with the rockabilly group.So what is the symbolism behind the anchor tattoo design? While the earliest forms of an anchor being used as a symbol harkens all the way back to the early Christians. They would often use the anchor as a hidden symbol for the cross. This was often used to show that they were Christian while escaping persecution from the Greeks.The symbol much later became popular with sailors. This is a pretty obvious connection here being that sailor use anchors constantly in their work.The anchor tattoo design has become a symbol for stability and a strong foundation. It can also mean a boyfriend, girlfriend or significant other in someone's life. You see a man might get an anchor tattoo to show that his girlfriend is the stability in his life.These have become increasingly popular for women to get and they often place them just below their collar bone on the right of left side.So the anchor tattoo is a great tattoo with lots of symbolism and history behind it. If you are looking for something to remind you to stay grounded or want to symbolism a particularly stable or grounding relationship that you have then an anchor tattoo design might be something to look into.Chris has been running Design My Tattoos website for the last three months. He
likes helping people find the custom tattoo designs and where to get them done by professional tattoo artists.
Check out the site and post a job to get your own custom tattoo design. If you are a tattoo artist
and would like to earn some extra income go ahead and sign up as an artists and
make some money in your spare time. Check out this article on
the symbolism of anchor tattoos on the site.
Category : Arts-and-Entertainment:Tattoos

Acting Schools: Making the Choice that is Right for You!

2008-04-05T13:00:00.001-07:00

Author : leanne@successtipsforactors.com

Some may disagree, but I believe anyone can become a GREAT actorwith the right training.There are so many acting schools out there that it can be reallychallenging finding the one that is RIGHT for you.There are many acting schools teaching different methods,techniques and skills ranging from acting schools that teachjust a technique to schools that teach camera skills to schoolsthat focus on scene studies and then there are drama actingschools that might be anywhere from one to three years part-timeor full-time, offering voice, movement, theatre history, cameraskills, acting skills and techniques as well as performance andagency showcases.Some of these drama acting schools may be highly regarded andsome may not. Often actors think they have to get into the topacting schools to be a success and if they dont get in thenthey have failed.But getting into the top acting schools doesnt necessarily meanthat you are getting the training that is RIGHT FOR YOU!Actors can go through these top acting schools and still notcome out the other end a great actor. Instead they have paidhuge fees and still feel insecure about who they are and abouttheir ability as an actor. They can do their showcase and notget an agent and not get work so its irrelevant if they gotinto the top acting schools or not.First things are first; find the training that is RIGHT FOR YOU!You are the one that has to live with yourself. If you feel forsome reason that you are in the wrong place LEAVE there are manyother schools and teachers out there and there is one that isright for you to help you UNLEASH your natural instincts andabilities as an actor.When searching for the right school, dont just take a placebecause one is offered to you. Shop around, research theschools, talk to graduates (not the actors at the school theywill say its great because it supports the fact that they arethere) ask graduates what they liked or didnt like. Sit in onclasses where possible.Dont always feel like you need a drama acting school thatoffers everything. You can go to one teacher for acting anotherfor voice and another for camera skills and so forth.Youll know if the school is right for you or not after acertain amount of time there. Be honest with yourself. If youare putting in the work and applying the techniques that theyare teaching and you feel after 6 months (less or more) thatyour ability as an actor is not improving, well then considerchanging acting schools. Obviously building muscles takes timeand as an actor thats what we do, train and build differentmuscles, so Im not saying if after a few weeks nothings changedleave, Im saying apply yourself and then in 6 months or a yearyou really believe that you havent improved or the teaches arestruggling to help you, look for a school that will serve youbetter.To your acting successLeanne Mauro Leanne Mauro http://www.successtipsforactors.com is a professionalactress working in theater, film and TV. One of her favoritesuccess moments was working with the legendary PeterBogdanovich.

Category : General Art & Entertainment: Performing Arts

How to cope with aggressive and violent behavior in your child with Aspergers

2008-04-03T12:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Dave Angel

For many parents of children with Aspergers Syndrome; coping with violent and aggressive behaviorcan be a very difficult challenge indeed. In this article I will outline the 2 essential factors that you need to know to cope with such behaviors.Aggressive behavior in the child with Aspergers Syndrome occurs for a reason, just as it would with anyother child. No child ever really just acts out for no apparent reason whatsoever. The key is in the words apparent reason there is ALWAYS a reason but the major challenge for the parent is often working out whatthat reason is.Inappropriate behavior, whether mild or severe, generallyoccurs in order to:1. Avoid something for example a child may becomeaggressive and shout before getting the school bus; as theywant to avoid going to school.2. Get something for example a child may lash out at another child because they want to get the toy that theother child is playing with.3. Because of pain for example a child may show arange of challenging behaviors to their parents because they feel in physical pain, such as having earache.4. Fulfill a sensory need for example a child may lash outor shout in the classroom if it is too noisy, too busy, toobright, too hot, or strong in a particular smell.So the first step in reducing or eliminating this behavior is todetermine the need that it fulfills by looking at the four categories above. The second step is to teach them a replacement behavior, which they can use to communicate what they want or dont want. It may even involve using some of their obsessive or self-stimulating behaviors (like hand-flapping, rocking, pacing) as a replacement behaviour.This is because it would be far less intrusive to others than aggressive behaviors, but still serve the same purpose. It could also be about encouraging the child to express their feelings or negotiate verbally. For other children they may communicate through another method like emotion cards, drawing, using symbols or talking through a puppet. You know your child best so you need to determine this.This process takes time and initially, depending on the behavior, you may not have time. If the behavior is severe,then you need to remove the child from whatever situationthey are in at the time immediately. Simply insisting that they stop the behavior and participate in whatever is occurring will not benefit the child or you; unless you remove them from the situation first. Maintaining your childs routine will go a long way towards reducing the need for inappropriate or aggressive behavior inthe first place. Because for children with Aspergers routine is a great source of stability and comfort for them.So just to recap the 2 critical factors for coping with your childs aggressive and violent behaviors are:1. Identify the real cause of the behavior from the 4main categories above.2. Teach the child to communicate the real cause of the behavior to you in a less harmful manner. Dave Angel is a social worker with families who havechildren on the Autistic Spectrum and is the author ofa new e-book that answers the 46 most asked questionsby parents of children with Aspergers. To claim yourfree 7 day Mini-Course for parents of children withAspergers Syndrome visit http://www.parentingaspergers.comtoday.

Category : General Home and Family: Parenting

Early Diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis: Difficult But Important

2008-04-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Gary Cordingley, MD, PhD
The principal dilemma in current management of multiple sclerosis is that while early diagnosis enables damage-sparing treatment to begin, diagnosing MS too early increases the likelihood of treating people who don't actually have the disease. Current disease-modifying drugs are all given by injection and cost about $14,000 per year. Apart from being inconvenient and expensive, there is some risk of harm from them which, if the patient doesn't actually have MS, occurs without any offsetting benefit.

The dilemma would not be great if multiple sclerosis was easy to diagnose, but unfortunately MS is among the most difficult diagnoses in all of medicine to make, at least while still in its early stages. Early in the course of symptoms, MS can resemble other conditions; moreover, other conditions can resemble MS.

Affecting 2.5 million people worldwide and 350,000 people in the U.S. alone, multiple sclerosis is not exactly a rare disease. It affects women at least twice as often as men and begins early in adulthood with most cases starting between the ages of 20 and 40.

MS is a so-called autoimmune disease, meaning that a person's immune system--ordinarily useful and essential in fighting off infections--becomes overactive and attacks the individual's own bodily tissues. Rheumatoid arthritis is another example of an autoimmune disease, but in MS the immune attack is not directed against joints as it is in rheumatoid arthritis. Instead, the immune system attacks large clusters of nerve-fibers generally deep within the central nervous system which includes the brain and spinal cord.

These attacks can produce a wide variety of symptoms depending on what the usual function was of the nerve-fibers that are under attack. When the attacked nerve-fibers have to do with vision, the symptoms are visual, like loss of visual clarity or even doubling of vision. When the nerve-fibers are involved with the process of bodily sensation, then the symptoms can be numbness or tingling. In fact, visual or sensory symptoms are the most common initial symptoms in multiple sclerosis. But initial symptoms might instead consist of dizziness, weakness, clumsiness or difficulty with urination. The sheer diversity of early symptoms that can be due to multiple sclerosis is one of the chief difficulties in recognizing it for what it is and properly diagnosing it.

It's useful in this regard to consider the twin issues of "false-positives" and "false-negatives." In short, every medical test and every diagnosis is subject to these errors. False-positive means that a test or a doctor indicates that a disease is present when it is, in fact, absent. A false-negative error occurs when a test or a doctor indicates that a disease is absent when it is, in fact, present. Despite the increased confidence that expanding medical knowledge and ever-more sophisticated tests provide, false-positives and false-negatives are a fact of life and still apply to every test and every diagnosis.

In multiple sclerosis there are three cornerstones to the diagnostic process. In usual descending order of importance they are the clinical evaluation, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanning and examination of the cerebrospinal fluid. Each of these is important in its own way, but one component almost never stands on its own merits, requiring one or both of the other components for corroboration.

The clinical evaluation refers to the time-honored process in which the physician elicits the history of the symptoms and performs a physical examination. The physical examination consists mainly of the neurological examination, which is a battery of mini-tests that inventories the performance of different components of the nervous system.

Even a test as high-tech and powerful as the MRI scan can lead to diagnostic errors. False-positives often occur when a patient has a scan for a totally unrelated reason--like headaches, for example--and has pockets of increased signal within the brain for which the radiologist raises the possibility of multiple sclerosis. When the abnormal scan leads to consultation with a neurologist, the neurologist often determines that multiple sclerosis is out of the question, and the areas of increased signal are either benign or due to another problem entirely. MRIs less frequently produce false-negatives for multiple sclerosis, but even so, this imaging test is believed to show just the tip of the iceberg in this disease, failing to demonstrate important changes that occur at the microscopic level.

Examining the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is another valuable tool in diagnosing MS. The CSF bathes the inside and the outside of the brain and the outside of the spinal cord, so its cellular and chemical composition often reflects what's going on within those structures. CSF is obtained by means of lumbar puncture, also known as spinal tap, a safe procedure in which a needle is inserted through the lower back and into the CSF space. The fluid is collected as it drips out the back of the needle. In cases of active MS there are usually abnormal proteins produced by the immune system that can be detected and measured in the CSF. However, here too there are false-positives and false-negatives, so that some people with abnormal proteins don't have MS and other people with normal proteins still do have the disease.

So the diagnostic process--including clinical evaluation, MRI scanning and CSF examination--is fraught with the possibility of error at each step of the way. Yet there is considerable incentive to make the diagnosis as early in the disease as possible (which is also when the risk of diagnostic errors is greatest) in order to initiate treatment that tames the out-of-control immune system. Sifting through the diagnostic information to make a timely and accurate diagnosis almost always requires the assistance of a neurologist, and even with the help of these specialists in disorders of the nervous system, sometimes the diagnosis gets revised as time passes and clues become more definite.

Before You Buy A Whitening Toothpaste

2008-04-01T00:00:00.001-07:00

Author : contact@e-teethwhitening.com

Bleaching toothpastes typically include abrasives (to take away debris and residual stain), humectants (to avoid loss of water), thickening agents or binders (to stabilize toothpaste formulations and avoid separation of liquid and solid phases), and flavoring and foaming agents (a preference of buyers). Therapeutic agents may contain fluoride (can be in all ADA-Accepted whitening toothpastes for reducing caries), potassium nitrate (to care for dentinal hypersensitivity), and triclosan or stannous fluoride (to decrease gingival inflammation). Additional agents that may be inserted to bleaching toothpastes to supply esthetic advantages are pyrophosphates or zinc citrate (to stop tartar buildup) and a variety of abrasives or enzymes (to assist teeth whitening). Daily oral care toothpastes acting by chemically or mechanically eliminating stain. The result is stain removal without spoiling the underlying tooth formation. Whitening toothpastes that remove surface stain should not be confused with bleaching agents that act by breaking down pigment to dispose of color from teeth. Before You Buy A Whitening ToothpasteSo, which one can be regarded as the best bleaching toothpaste option? The idea of the research was to test the four whitening toothpastes - Aquafresh, Tom's, Rembrandt, and Ultra Brite and find out the one that could bleach three different stains the best. All og the toothpastes used diverse ingredients for whitening. Ultra Brite was expected to whiten the best, because it used tough abrasives to scrub stains. The toothpaste with the highest average ranking was Aquafresh. Rembrandt was second, Ultra Brite third, and Tom's last. After the test, the author researched to discover why exactly the following toothpastes had the results they did. He found out that Aquafresh had an ingredient called Triclene that broke up the bonds of stains so they could with no trouble be brushed away. Ultra Brite and Tom's used abrasives, and were the two worst whiteners. Rembrandt used Alumisil, but was not found to break up particle bonds. The experimentation proved that abrasives are the least effectual method for bleaching teeth, and components that break up the bonds of stains are what buyers should look for in a whitening toothpaste. (According to CALIFORNIA STATE SCIENCE FAIR 2004 PROJECT number J1102) Teeth Bleaching Guide - provides information on teeth whitening options, dental care and cosmetic dentistry procedures...

Category : General Medical: Dental

Are Webmasters Actually Ninjas?

2008-03-31T11:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Steve Hansen

Are Webmasters Actually Ninjas?

1)Webmasters enjoy working at night when no one else is around
and it is quiet. Ninjas work at night under the cover of
darkness.

2)Ninjas where tight fitting black clothing and black shoes.
Webmasters wear tight fitting black T-shirts.

3)Ninjas rely on cunning skill and black magic tricks to
accomplish their mission. Webmasters often resort to black hat
SEO tricks in order to get their pages ranked well in Google and
Yahoo.

4)Ninjas use smoke bombs to disappear. Webmasters are much more
advanced in this area. They do not even need smoke bombs. They
often disappear without notice. You have a better chance of
getting a Ninja on the phone in 2005 than you do your
programmer.

5)Ninjas use deception as a tactic to confuse and spread fear.
Webmasters deceive everyone. Only they can understand their
massive file structures.

6)Ninjas use their special insight to view the source of their
enemy's power. Webmasters use 'view source' as an age old
intelligence gathering technique about their enemy.

7)Ninjas use a secret code to communication to other ninjas.
Webmasters use heavily coded languages to IM other designers. No
one has any idea what they are talking about.

8)Ninjas have been known to throw sharp metallic objects when
encountering an enemy. Webmasters have been known to throw
metallic data processing units across the room when encountering
a blue screen.

9)Ninjas are hired because the client doesn't want to confront
the enemy himself. Webmasters are hired because the client
doesn't want to confront the "HTML for Dummies" himself.

Category : Cardio

The Pregnancy Glow and Other Myths of Motherhood

2008-03-31T02:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Barbara A. Eastom Bates
It happened during the ninth month of my first pregnancy. I was going through a department store check-out lane where a teenage girl was ringing up my purchases. She looked shyly at my burgeoning belly with an expression that could only be described as reverent.With eyes full of dreams of future motherhood she asked, âœIs pregnancy really as bad as everyone says?âWithout the slightest guilt, I replied, âœNo. Itâ™s worse.âThe DeceptionWhen my husband and I announced the birth of our blessed expectation some months prior, along with endless congratulations, I received the good news of the many wonderful changes I could expect."Youâ™ll positively glow.ââœYour hair and nails will look fabulous.ââœYouâ™ll feel absolutely beautiful.âAccording to family and friends, as a gestating woman, I would feel nothing short of a precious vessel, glowing with health and radiance given only to those experiencing the miracle of growing a child.About a week later, wearing the pallor of death, I was running away from the smell of my husbandâ™s lunchtime tuna fish sandwich knowing Iâ™d never been so violently ill my entire life.The RealityAlthough itâ™s rumored there are actually women who sail through pregnancy untouched by any ills or discomfort, I was not one of them. If Iâ™d ever experienced a pregnancy glow, Iâ™m certain I could only have been radioactive.I was told to expect a little morning sickness. I didnâ™t anticipate 24/7 progesterone poisoning, body aches, or never ending fatigue. And in all the happy tales of pregnancy recounted to me, I'm certain I'd have remembered hearing if pure, unadulterated misery were mentioned as a symptom of gestation.Sitting in my obstetricianâ™s office near the end of the first trimester, she asked how I was feeling. âœSick.ââœGood.â She replied.Seeing my defeated look, she offered a small respite. âœYouâ™ll start to feel better after week 12 or 13.âI crossed the days off my calendar waiting for magical week 13. It came and went. My never ending nausea did not. I was sick, tired, and sick of being both.I'd been told how sharing a child together would make my marital relationship more intimate. I, on the other hand, hated my husband. No matter he and I had joyfully consented to make this child together, or that he worried and did the best he could to make me feel more comfortable. Somewhere in the back of my mind, as I watched him lie peacefully asleep at night while I was awake fending off nausea, all I could think was, âœthis is your fault.âAnd so it went for the entire duration of nine months. I knew beyond any shadow of a doubt, if I ever survived this go-round on the pregnancy rollercoaster, there would be no more children in my future, ever. Motherhood just wasnâ™t all that it was cracked up to be.The Grand DebutJacob Lyle arrived in early fall that year, bearing 10 perfect fingers and toes, a head full of brown hair and big blue eyes. He was bruised and battered from birth, yet, to my eyes, perfection unlike the world had ever seen before.Suddenly, my entire life made sense. At 23-years old, I wasnâ™t yet sure what I wanted to be when I grew up, or what my future held outside of being a wife to my husband. With the arrival of Jacob, I knew exactly why I was hereâ"to be the mother of this beautiful child. Having Jacob filled my life with a sense of awe and wonder I had never known. I was a mother, and that was enough.Altered ExpectationsWhile I had expected sleepless nights with my newborn, what I hadnâ™t expected was how much I would enjoy them. I gladly gave up sleep to have the chance just to hold my tiny son in my arms and look at his sweet face.I expected life to change. I never expected the very foundations of my world to be rocked. It came as a total shock that the simple act of becoming a motherâ"wasnâ™t simple.Previous to motherhood, tragedy in the world was sad. After the birth of my son, it was heart-wrenching. No longer could I watch a movie or read a news report depicting harm to a child without emotion. Every child became my child. What if it were Jacob who was sick? What if it were Jacob who was injured?Issues Iâ™d previously given no thought suddenly became of substantial importance. Was there truly a difference between breastfeeding and formula feeding? Should we circumcise? If I vaccinated my child, he could have a serious adverse reaction. If I chose not to vaccinate, he could become very ill.I became an information addict and read every book on childcare I could get my hands on and spent endless hours researching my concerns and second guessing my decisions. The rest of my waking hours were spent staring at Jacob as he slept, assuring myself he was still breathing and would only continue to do so thorough my conscious willing of it. Fortunately, he survived my new mother paranoia and came out relatively unscathed-- or at least, I will assume so until Iâ™m presented with a bill for therapy.Personal TruthsI had gone into motherhood with the words of many fostering my belief Iâ™d have a baby, but life would eventually go back to normal again by the magical six-week check-up (at which point I'd also have lost all my baby weight). What I didnâ™t know when I gave birth was normal was gone forever, along with any peace of mind, my figure, and any hope of a good nightâ™s sleep, but that Iâ™d never trade a moment of my new life to have it back again.Motherhood, Iâ™ve come to find, is a journey rather than a destination. And while we may endeavor to share experiences with a new mom-to-be, the truths of motherhood remain personal and hers alone to find. The only certainty is the journey is well worth traveling.I only wish I could talk to that teenager one more time.About The AuthorBarbara Eastom Bates is the author of the upcoming release, "Basic Training for Brides-to-Be," and editor-in-chief of Operation Military Spouse, http://www.operationmilitaryspouse.com.opmilspouse@yahoo.com
Category : Innovation

Beginners Guide When Looking To Buy a Pocket Bike

2008-03-29T01:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Charles and Susan Truett
When looking to buy a pocket bike (miniature motorcycle) be sure to do your research. You need to find reliable sales professionals, dealers, or Internet connections to make this purchase. There are many 'knock-offs' or imitations out there and to purchase them would be a waste of your money and time. The parts for these imitations are not typically found and in the rare event that you can find them they will be extremely costly and are typically not guaranteed.

To assist you in making the best buy, talk to others that have already have a pocket bike such as a trusted friend or co-worker, your local pocket bike league, local dealers, etc. You can use the Internet to assist in you in your research as well. This will allow you a more time efficient method of comparing prices as well as obtaining information for various bikes. You will be able to compare the price of the actual bike as well as any amenities offered, allowing you to see which has the best offer.

Also note that when you buy a pocket bike, the laws vary from state to state and country to country. Speak with your local law enforcement agencies and local pocket bike league so that you understand all local rules, regulations, and laws. You are making an investment and it would be a waste of money as well as your time to lose such an extraordinary machine because you failed to get all the correct information.

Once you have done your research and have decided to make your purchase, make sure of any safety equipment and/or gear you made need. You are making this purchase to have fun and fulfill some dreams, so your safety should be a priority so that you may continue to do so.

And now that you have done everything you need to make your purchase wisely and ensure your laws and safety, go out there and have fun. This is why you why you want to buy your pocket bike to begin with.

Barclays Travel Insurance reports winter tourists prefer down under to down hill

2008-03-28T18:00:00.001-07:00

Author : PR Sending

Research from Barclays Travel Insurance has shown that Melbourne and Sydney have seen a huge increase in the number of visiting British tourists this winter as millions opted to take in the English cricket teams Ashes whitewash rather than the white slopes of a ski holiday. The research from Barclays Travel Insurance indicates that Sydney has seen a 25% increase in Brits visiting the city whilst Melbourne welcomed a massive 140% more British tourists than last year. The Australian cities are also two of the destinations with the biggest increase in the amount spent by British tourists with spending in Melbourne increasing by 178%. Other destinations which are seeing an upsurge in UK visitors include Hong Kong and Phuket both popular stop-offs on route to Australia and New York, where shoppers have been flocking to take advantage of the strong pound/dollar exchange rateThe top 5 list of destinations and percentage increases by British visitor numbers from December 2005-January 2006 compared with December 2006-January 2007 were:1. Melbourne 140%2. Sydney 25%3. Phuket 24%4. Hong Kong 21%5. Dubai 15%In contrast, spending and visitor numbers to European ski resorts such as Meribel, Val DIsere and Chamonix were down by up to 18% on the same time last year, which was not helped by the limited snow fall which have occurred so far this season across these regions.The list of the top six ski destinations and percentage changes by British visitor numbers and spending from December 2005-January 2006 compared with December 2006-January 2007 shows:1. Chamonix -18%, spending -19%2. Val DIsere -12%, spending +9%3. Morzine -12%, spending -1%4. Meribel -2%, spending 0%5. Courchevel +1%, spending +18%6. Verbier +13%, spending +8%The top five destinations measured by the numbers of visiting British tourists across December and January are currently Paris, Sydney, Dublin, New York and Dubai. Las Vegas, Verbier and Phuket are the destinations where Brits spend the most an average of almost 400 each whilst British visitors to Dublin, Paris and Prague spend less than 100 each. Mark Till, Marketing Director for Barclays Insurance, comments: Long haul breaks seem to be becoming increasingly popular with British holidaymakers over the Christmas and New Year period. Flights are getting cheaper and Brits are prepared to trek further for the chance of some proper winter sunshine. Of course this year the numbers travelling to Australia were boosted further by the added attraction of the Ashes taking place whilst Europes slow start to the ski season due to a lack of snow has also encouraged tourists to look elsewhere.Barclays offers travel insurance for single and annual multiple trips across the world including winter sports cover. For more information, a quote and a 10% online discount visit the Barclays Insurance site. PR Contact:Elizabeth HollowayPR Manager - UK BankingBarclays Corporate AffairsLevel 8 1 Churchill PlaceLondonE14 5HPT: +44 (0)207 116 6229M: +44 (0)7917 503277E: elizabeth.holloway@barclays.com

Category : General Business: Insurance

Web Hosting, Where to Start?

2008-03-27T20:00:00.000-07:00

Author : James Piper

Web hosting is a necessity when starting your web presence, with out it you don't have a site, but finding high quality web hosting can be a daunting challenge, after all, do you need one gigabyte of bandwidth, web hosting with one IP, unlimited databases or a free domain name. What does this really mean and what should you be looking for when you try to find a suitable web hosting company. Web hosting companies are extremely profitable if they are popular, they have high start-up costs, but over time their general overheads dramatically reduce (proportionally). This is evident if you think that they have to pay to get directly connected to the backbone in order to establish the fastest possible connection, they need secure fire resistance premises, equipment, support staff and much more. Once established their costs per web hosting account reduce, if you go to a major web hosting company and order a web hosting server, all they are really doing is adding a computer to their existing network, therefore splitting the overall costs. Then you pay approximately $150-$200 per month to keep that dedicated web hosting server. Your web hosting requirementsYou need to realistically establish what web hosting requirements you have for your site, do you really need 400 gigabytes of bandwidth (transfer) per month? Most sites are lucky to use 2 gigabytes per month from their web hosting account. Databases are another big issue, many web hosting companies change extra for databases, when in actual fact they don't cost anything to maintain as they reside on the same server. So before you proceed, you need to analyse what web hosting requirements you really have, look at the script requirements you have of any potential software products you plan to use on your web hosting account. Another limitation a lot of web hosting companies impose is the amount of mailboxes you can have, many people start on the internet with the intention of offering their friends, family and staff email boxes as well as numerous emails for their site, for example webmaster@domain.com , support@domain.com , jobs@domain.com and contact@domain.com . The chances are you really don't need that many mail boxes and administering them can be a gruelling task. You know your web hosting requirements, what next? Your primary goal should be to visit web hosting information sites in order to obtain a list of potential web hosting companies. A great web hosting information resource is Web Hosting Village, they provide web hosting articles, news and information, and in fact the best place to start your search for quality web hosting. Creating a list of potential web hosting companies Given that web hosting companies are profitable, they tend to advertise immensely across the internet. The more successful a web hosting company is the more they are willing to spend on web hosting related advertising. Therefore finding hosting companies via paid advertising, such as Googles Adsense, is generally a good idea as this a good step to take to establish how successful they have been. Short listingIn order to short list your potential web hosting companies you need to visit each site and just quickly look around, if the design is poor or they don't offer adequate support, then the chances are this web hosting company is not for you. Whether you are new to the whole web hosting experience or an expert, there will eventually be a time when you need to contact your web hosting support. If they are non existent then you will really have a problem, so establishing their channels of communication and support should be one of your top priorities when selecting a web hosting company. Inside informationOnce you have a shortlist of several web hosting companies, you need to research them via forums and webmaster communities. Chances are if someone has had a bad experience or extremely good they will want to write about it somewhere on the internet. SelectionYou should now have a list of two to three potential web hosting companies who you are really impressed with, now you need to make the selection. The best way is to weigh up the features and price and be really realistic as to your requirements, we have all been in the situation where we have been over ambitious and bought something that is too advanced for us.If you have a winning concept that will make you bigger than Yahoo or eBay, the chances are you still don't need a mega server when you start off, you just need something small and stable that will allow you to develop and promote your business. Once you have a good source of income you can upgrade your web hosting account with your current supplier and not experience any downtime whatsoever, so why pay for a mega web hosting account when you can get by with a $19.99 a month web hosting account and use the additional amount on marketing or development. James Piper, the owner of http://www.webhostingvillage.com, and avid web hosting enthusiast invites you to visit the internets best web hosting resource, Web Hosting Village. We have information and articles on everything from web hosting to dedicated servers.

Category : Hosting

A Mom's Fascination With Face Painting

2008-03-26T22:00:00.001-07:00

Author : JoAnne Westcott

As the mom of a three and a five year old, I've been to many school events, community festivals and charity functions where the face painting booth, no matter what else was going on, was the star attraction.So I began to wonder, why is it that face painting booths are so popular? Attention - All children crave attention. Come to think of it, most adults do too. When a child is sitting in the chair, the face painter is completely focused on that child. You can just see how special that child feels at that moment.Creativity - Any kind of painting is an expression of creativity. When kids choose the design they wish to have painted on their face, they take command of their own creativity and self-expression.Individuality - Kids are expected to have the right toys?the right clothes. Generation after generation, youngsters are encouraged to conform to be socially accepted. Face Painting is one way to express individuality.Fun - Let's face it. Having your face painted is just plain fun. And is there any sweeter look than the quick glances that kids take of themselves in the mirror after a face painting session? That little smirk on their face is priceless!Face painting seemed like an awesome way to entertain my kids on a rainy day. Face Painters make it look so easy. I thought, "I can do that." I had so many questions, but not a clue where to start. I searched face painting on the internet and although I found some beautiful photos of full face creations, they didn't really help me much as a beginner. I simply wanted to learn how to paint a flower design on my daughter's cheek. I knew, however, that I could learn a lot from the artists who create those kind of masterpieces.So that's exactly where I chose to begin. I wanted to watch a face painter in action, talk to them, ask questions, dissect their technique. That is a pretty difficult thing to do in the middle of a festival or birthday party, but not if you hire one to come to your house?which is exactly what I did.Hiring a face painting professional could cost anywhere from $50 to over $200 an hour, depending on where you live. But the information you glean will be invaluable. Here are a few things I learned from my friend, the professional face painter:1. Do use the right paints. Don't use any paints that are not specifically designed for use on skin.2. Don't use cheap brushes. Spend at least $3.00 apiece on a few brushes and they will last a long time.3. Don't try to be all things to all people. It isn't necessary to paint 100 perfect designs. A small collection of 10 or 20 simple designs will make you look like a hero to the children.4. Do practice as much as you can?on people or on paper. With practice comes speed.5. Don't be afraid of making a mistake. Children are very forgiving, as is the paint. It's easily 'erasable'.6. Don't be nervous about fidgety kids. Speak calmly and quietly and they'll usually stay still.7. Do have fun. Face painting is a therapeutic, creative outlet.8. Do share your newfound talent. Volunteer your services at events and before you know it, someone may offer to pay you! About The AuthorJoAnne Westcott is the author of Easy Face Painting: How You Can Get Professional Results Even If You've Never Picked Up A Paintbrush. She is a work-at-home mom of two girls, ages 3 and 5, and resides in St. Louis, Missouri. You can learn more about Face Painting and how to acquire the simple skills to get started by visiting at http://www.easyfacepainting.com.jdwestcott@gmail.com

Category : Kids - Teen

How to replace a broken garage door torsion spring.

2008-03-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Ricardo Aquino

Before you begin to disassemble your garage door's
counterbalance system, inspect your garage door thoroughly for
any damage that may have been the result of the spring's
failure. Make sure the center support is securely fastened, as
well as the track's flag brackets, jamb brackets and rear track
hangers. Check for damaged cables, etc. Any discrepancies should
be addressed before you work on that spring.
Ensure that
there is no tension on the spring or springs before you
disassemble.

If your door has only one spring:

1. Unbolt the stationary cone from the center support and slide
it over towards the drum.

2. Take note of the position
of the end bearing plate, then unbolt the bearing plate and
slide it off the shaft.

3. Loosen the drum's set screws
and slide the drum off the shaft. (You will probably have to
tap it with a hammer and wrestle it off due to possible
indentations made on the shaft by the drum's set
screws.)

4. This will be a good time to file down
any indentations that you may find on the shaft.

5.
Slide the broken spring off the shaft.

6. Carefully
slide the new spring onto the shaft. Avoid nicking or scraping
the spring's wire.

7. Slide the drum back onto the
shaft.

8. Slide the end bearing back onto the shaft and
bolt it down in the same spot it was originally at.

9.
Refasten the spring to the center support plate.

10. Go
the opposite drum and ensure that the drum's set screws are
tight and that the cable is wrapped properly around the drum.
Clamp a "Vise Grip" onto the shaft so that it is up against the
wall preventing the drum from turning allowing the cable to go
slack.

11. Go back to the loose drum, reconnect the
cable then turn the drum so that the cable wraps securely around
the drum. Tighten the drum's set screws.

12. Check both
cable's tautness, they should be the same. Adjust as
needed.

13. Wind the spring with a couple of steel rods
that fit securely and all the way into the winding plug's four
holes. There is a chart at
http://www.garagedoorsupply.com/torsionspringinstallation.html
which will tell you how many turns to wind your spring to. This
chart is only a guide, you must test your door's balance after
the spring is wound and adjust the tension as needed.

NOTE: If your door has two springs that share the center support
then you MUST remove the tension completely from the
spring that is not broken before you undo the stationary cone
from the center support.

As you may have realized by now, this repair is not rocket
science. Anyone can do it provided they have a little mechanical
aptitude, exercise caution and common sense.

If you
are unsure of your mechanical abilities, please do not attempt
to replace a torsion spring. Refer to your Yellow Pages for a
qualified garage door repairperson in your area.

Category : Time Management

Bow Your Wrist to Maximize Distance, by Nick Reinhart

2008-03-26T03:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Nick Reinhart

Today you are going to learn how to maximize your distance by making one little adjustment that is easy and should produce immediate results, bowing your wrist. Okay, I am not talking about a bow and arrow here, I am talking about making sure your wrist is bowed at the top of your swing and not cupped. To clarify, if you are a right handed player, it is your left wrist that needs to be bowed and if you are a left handed player, it is your right wrist.So what does this have to do with getting more distance and how do you do it? Well the key to bowing the wrist is this, when you do it, you dont have to use your smaller muscles in your hands and wrists to square up the club to hit it. Think about it, when you bow your wrist at the top of your swing, it allows you to simply pull the club down to the ball thus making it a more powerful swing because you are using larger muscles to pull the club down to the ball. If you have a big arc and then as you get to the ball and have to use your hands to square the club, you are going to lose a lot of power and thus distance. It does feel funny the first few times you do it and you may actually pull your drives and iron shots as you try it because you are not used to having the club square at the top and down to the ball. However, it does work. I was on a 425 yard par 4 uphill and I used to hit a Driver and more than likely a 5 wood to get to the green. When I did this, I hit driver, 5 iron to the green. I hit a much longer drive and was able to hit my 5 iron since I was so much closer. That is when Eureka hit for me that this really works. If you want to get an aid to help you with this, just do a google search for golf training aids and there is a golf glove available that can allow you to get the feel for what I am talking about. Plus, you can even use it on the course since it is a golf glove. It is a little bigger than normal and it does cost a little more, but it could be worth it if you end up hitting the ball further.To your golfing success.Nick Nick Reinhart is a father of two boys and an avid golfer who loves the game and its ever ending challenges. He loves finding new, simple techniques that will help the average golfer get better with their game. Nick loves to help people get better so they can enjoy the game they fell in love with.

Category : General Sports: Golf

How To Grow Your Micro-Business

2008-03-24T20:00:00.001-07:00

Author : J. Stephen Pope
If you want to grow your micro-business (defined as a
business with fewer than five employees), you might
consider some of the findings of a survey by Statistics
Canada.1. The FindingsAccording to "Growth Determinants of Micro-Businesses in
Canada" (Evangelia Papadaki and Bassima Chami, Small
Business Policy Branch, Industry Canada), the survey by
Statistics Canada revealed the following:Micro-businesses get much of their advice from family,
friends, customers and suppliers. Accountants are more
commonly consulted for business advice than lawyers and
bankers.Completion of high school was cited as a factor for growth
in the micro-business. Perhaps surprisingly, college or
university education was discounted as a factor for success.Age or sex of business owners did not affect business
growth. Nor was being an immigrant a significant factor.For growth, being willing to delegate, assume risk, and
share ownership all seemed to be factors for success.Expansion of the local market was more important for
growth than the export market for the micro-business.Growth micro-businesses innovate and engage in e-commerce
activities.2. The OpportunitiesThis is encouraging news for entrepreneurs. You don't
necessarily need a lot of money for professional advisors
to grow your micro-business. Higher education is not a
prerequisite for success. Age, sex or country of origin
are not relevant factors for growing your micro-business.If growth of your micro-business is your goal, you can't
do everything yourself. You must be willing to delegate
(or perhaps even share ownership of your business with
others). Innovation, a willingness to take risks, and
use of the Internet are also important to your growth.Are you willing to delegate, take risks, and partner
with others? Are you innovative? Do you employ
e-commerce in your business? Are you using the Internet
to expand your local business?RESOURCE BOX:J. Stephen Pope, President of Pope Consulting Inc., has been
helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over
twenty-five years. For valuable Work at Home Small Business
Ideas, visit: http://www.yenommarketinginc.com/
Category : Mobile Phones

Autoresponders With PHP

2008-03-24T16:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Robert Plank

First off, check out the URL below. You'll learn how to make
that today. http://www.jumpx.com utorials/3/signup.html

Fill out your e-mail address on the page you see. (I promise
it's not being saved anywhere.) Then, wait a minute or two and
check your mail. You should get a message from Gumby
(null@jumpx.com) containing a sample autoresponder message.

Today, we're going to learn three easy things: redirection, mail
sending, and form submission.

When we finish with that, you will know how to put those
components together and create an autoresponder. Because if you
think about it, that's all an autoresponder does. Somebody
enters in their e-mail address, are sent an e-mail message, and
then are redirected to a new page.

Of course there are more complex autoresponders, like Gary
Ambrose's Opt-In Lightning, or Wes Baylock's Mail Master Pro
which handle multiple follow-ups and record the e-mail addresses
of those who have signed up for the responder. But today we're
just going to focus on how to make a very basic, very simple
autoresponder.

Hopefully, you've seen what form objects in HTML look like.
Here's some code you can use for an example:

Enter Your E-Mail
Address:

Copy and paste this code into a file called "signup.html" and
upload it to your web server. You'll see a text box waiting for
your visitor to enter his or her e-mail address so they can be
sent that autoresponse message.

Of course, the form won't work just yet because, if you look at
the first line of that HTML code I gave you, you'll see that the
form submits to a script called "some-script.php". And we
haven't made that just yet.

Look on the second line of "signup.html", at the last half of
the line. You should be familiar with HTML tags, but if you're
not, an HTML tag consists of two parts: the parent tag and the
attributes.

The parent tag is simply the tag's designation. For example, if
you had a slice of HTML code that looked like this:

Then the parent tag would be "font". The rest of what's enclosed
in the tag tells the browser what to do with it. For example, in
this tag the attributes are that the font should be Verdana with
size 1.

Why am I telling you all this? Because it relates to the HTML
code you see in signup.html.

Now, when you look at this:

The code tells the receiving browser that this is an "input"
tag, meaning that it's a form field. The name of this item is
"email" and its size is 30, meaning this text box should be 30
characters in width.

When the form is submitted, it takes all the values of all the
fields inside that form and throws it at its destination. In
this case, our destination is "some-script.php".

If you're lost, this will all make a whole lot more sense once
you try this next step.

Make a file called "some-script.php" and paste this line of code
into it:

Upload the script in the same folder as signup.html, and go to
"signup.html". Type your e-mail address in and click the submit
button.

You should see a new page containing just your e-mail address
and nothing else.

Is this starting to make sense? You told the PHP script to dump
the contents of the variable called "email" to the screen, and
you just submitted a form with a text box called "email".

If you want to try one more exercise like this, change the name
of the text box to, say, "goober" in signup.html and change the
$email in some-script.php to $goober. Upload both, go to
signup.html, and type anything into the text box. You'll get the
same result.

This is how you'll pass data from forms (like text fields, drop
down menus, radio buttons and the like) along into the PHP
scripts you create.

We've just covered how to submit form elements into PHP. Now
let's focus on sending mail.

PHP has a really simple function that uses whatever mail sending
program is installed on your server to send messages to the
outside world. If you have a crappy web server, this step might
not work and you'll have to use a different web host if you want
to try this.

But if you're on a good web host that has PHP installed
*correctly*, this shouldn't be a problem.

Up until now we haven't used functions in PHP too much, aside
from simple things like include() and header(). Today's your
lucky day, because functions work in a very similar way to HTML
tags. You have the parent tag, and the attributes (or
parameters).

The mail() function basically works like this:

mail("recipient","subject","body","headers");

Let's start off by sending a simple e-mail message to yourself.
We won't need any special headers this time around, so this will
be quick and painless. Copy this one line of code into
"mailtest.php":

Replace "billg@microsoft.com" with your actual e-mail address,
but be *sure* to keep quotes around it. Save it, and upload
mailtest.php to your web server and run it in the browser. You
should see a blank page. Wait a few minutes and check your mail.
You should see a mysterious mail message in your box with the
subject "Hello" and the message "Hi. This is the body of my
message."

If you're using a free e-mail service or a weird ISP, the
message won't come through because a lot of mail servers these
days require that certain headers are present in the message.

Let's do that now.

What's below isn't important enough to explain thoroughly, but
it's just header information that is interpreted by the mail
server. This data tells us that we're sending a plain text
e-mail, that the message came from your e-mail address (and
gives your name), and tells us that the e-mail "client" we used
was PHP.

$headers = "Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii From:
$myname Reply-To: Return-Path:
X-Mailer: PHP";

This is the code you should have by this point, complete with
the header information and the variables which tell the script
what your name and e-mail address are:

Notice how we've simplified things a bit by using variables in
the mail() function. That way we don't have to retype things.
This method also looks better (in my opinion anyway) and is
easier to tweak once you're ready to actually customize it for
yourself.

Try this out again. Believe it or not, but you just made your
first autoresponder! Before we move on let's make this look even
cleaner:

All I did here was just make things look nicer, but notice how I
removed the line that set $email to "billg@microsoft.com." This
is because the value of $email will be passed to the script from
that form we made earlier.

This also sends the e-mail message ONLY if the value of $email
is not blank. So if someone just hit the submit button without
entering an address, the script won't try to send the e-mail
message.

Everything should be ready for you to try out now. Re-upload
"some-script.php" and go to signup.html. Enter your e-mail
address in the field, hit submit and wait for that mail message
to arrive.

There's only one step left to making this autoresponder
complete. And that's sending the user somewhere so they aren't
given a blank page.

Find this line in your script: if ($email != "") {
mail($email,$subject,$body,$headers); }

And paste this directly underneath it:
header("Location:http://www.jumpx.com"); die();

Try the autoresponder out. You'll see that once the autoresponse
message is sent, you're directed to www.jumpx.com. Now, go ahead
and change it to whatever URL you want to use. Or, make use it
with a variable so the end result is like this:

Don't forget to change the values above.
"http://www.my-domain-name.com hankyou.html" needs to point to
the URL where thankyou.html is stored.

You're done. Don't forget to send John feedback for me. If
you're really curious as to how to do something in PHP, I might
just write an article on it.

Category : Diabetes

Why, What and When You Need Estate Planning

2008-03-24T14:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Natalie Aranda
Sitting down with a financial advisor to plan the transfer of all of your personal assets upon the event of your death to your chosen beneficiaries is called estate planning. Successfully planning your estate with a professional ensures that your assets are transferred to your chosen beneficiaries as quickly and with as minimal tax consequence to them as is legally possible.The modern process of estate planning begins with you making an inventory of all of your assets and creating a will. Often a trust is established to help minimize the tax burden that may be left along with your assets to your heirs. You want to leave your loved ones with wonderful memories and family heirlooms and treasures to cherish, not a huge financial burden to bear. A will alone is often no longer enough. You need a professional Financial Advisor to help guide you through current tax and inheritance laws and help you choose how to best plan your estate to make the transition as smooth as possible for your loved ones during what will surely be an already emotional time for them. Proper estate planning helps you to know that those prize possessions that you want to stay in your family and be passed down through following generations will do just that. You'll no longer have to worry that a heartbroken heir might be forced to sell those prized possessions just to satisfy Uncle Sam's tax bill.You may be asking yourself, isn't estate planning just for the really wealthy folks? The process of inventorying and totaling the value of your assets can be a real eye opening experience. It's best to go through this process with a professional advisor so you can be advised how current federal and state laws may affect your estate upon your death. After you, add up the value of your home, personal property, investments, life insurance benefits and retirement accounts you may be surprised to find that your estate reaches into in the taxable category.Even, if you learn that your estate is not likely to be subject to federal estate taxes, estate planning is a wise choice to be assured that your wishes are carried out just the way you want them after you are gone and that your wishes are carried out in a professional manner for all those involved.If you haven't yet seen a Financial Advisor about your estate, make an appointment today. You'll get all the information you need to plan your own personal estate in the interest of all those involved. And, peace of mind as a bonus!Natalie Aranda writes about family and personal finance. Sitting down with a financial advisor to plan the transfer of all of your personal assets upon the event of your death to your chosen beneficiaries is called estate planning. The modern process of estate planning begins with you making an inventory of all of your assets and creating a will. Often a trust is established to help minimize the tax burden that may be left along with your assets to your heirs.
Category : Finance:Estate-Plan-Trusts

Podcasts - Personal Radio For the Masses

2008-03-24T13:00:00.001-07:00

Author : D. Randolph
Podcasts are literally ways the ordinary average person can have their own broadcast media. What makes Podcasts different from other types of audio content is the users must use RSS protocol. However, it also allows you to produce and create your own self-published radio-type shows.Several radio stations use Podcasts either as their entire format or as part of their format. These stations include KYOU Radio in San Francisco, 99.5 The Mountain in Denver, and KFI in Los Angeles. Of course, the Internet provides listings for where Podcasts can be found as well. At www.Podcasts.net, you'll find a list that is based on any topic you're interested in. This includes entertainment, politics, arts, science and nature, business, lifestyle and shopping, with many of the categories broken down into more specific categories.If you don't have an iPod, you may wonder why you would even want to find Podcasts. The term Podcasts doesn't mean a person has to use an Apple iPod. Podcast, though, is a term merged from the words iPod and broadcast. Any digital audio player or computer with the proper software can be used to listen to or create Podcasts. But, users must have "Podcatching" software, also known as "aggregator" software, to be able to listen to Podcasts.Those wanting to either listen to or make their own Podcasts will need something called iPodderx. This is nothing more than a newsreader that can interpret RSS 2.0 feeds. While the iPodderx allows for listening to Podcasts, it is also needed to help with the broadcast side as well. Other Podcasting products available, as shown on www.alesis.com, include the 10/2 2-channel portable audio interface. This is a 24-bit /96k USB product. The Photon X49 is a keyboard controller, as is the Fusion 6HD and 8HD. The MultiMix Mixers are used to mix sounds for the Podcasts. M1 Active 520 and 620 nearfield reference monitors are also available. However, be ready to spend some serious cash if you're planning on doing any major Podcasts.Podcasts can be broadcasted world wide, adding an even broader base to the places you can find Podcasts. A couple of the global Podcast sites, according to www.wickmedia.com, are CBC Radio One out of Canada, Triple J Podcast from Australia. Podcast sites in the US can be found at www.podarama.com-dj.

To find more podcasting sites, just log on to the Internet and visit locations such as http://www.apodcasting.com/dir/HowToFindPodcastingSites

to do a thorough search.There are no rules or regulations to individual Podcasts and their content, until some specific situations apply. That includes Podcasts that are broadcast over regular radio waves on radio stations across the nation. Those Podcasts are regulated by Federal Communication Commission laws because they are geared toward the masses at large. That means that, for an individual who wants to become a Podcaster, the sky's the limit.Copyright 2005 by D. L. Randolph. All rights reserved.Looking for information about podcasting? Go to http://www.apodcasting.com.

About Podcasting is a Podcast Information Directory and Resource Site which provides a consolidated listing of the best Podcasting sites in one easy to navigate location.
Category : Jewelry

Protect Yourself From Online Fraud

2008-03-24T11:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Tammy Wilson

Being in the online medication industry for over two years has taught us much, but one of the most important lessons we have learnt is how to tell a scam pharmacy from a real pharmacy. You must be very vigilant in determining who you trust when you order online. We suggest you take note of the following.Do they have contact information readily available?Would you trust your medications when they come from a company you can only ever contact through an email address? More than 90% of the online pharmacies out there do not list phone numbers or addresses and this lack of contact information says many things about the pharmacy:1. We dont want to talk to you and2. We want to remain anonymousBut it doesnt stop at the phone number, because what a lot of online pharmacies are doing nowadays is outsourcing their call center to a 3rd party whose primary job is just to take orders. This is important to take note of because when a company outsources its call center they still separate themselves from the customers and maintain their degree of anonymity. When you combine this with the fact that they can pick up and move their operation literally overnight; this is a scary thing indeed. This is not to say that all pharmacies that outsource are fraudulent, it is just something to take note of when you are doing your due-diligence.The next piece of information you want to look for is the companys physical mailing address. The only reason a company would not provide this piece of information is to once again hide their true identity/location and this is a very common indication of fraud.Next time you visit a pharmacy be sure to click their Contact page and see what information they have available to contact them by. You may be very surprised.Reputable Domain Name?Take a look at the top of the Internet browser to see the website address you are visiting, does it look like a reputable domain name?A reputable domain name is something like:http://www.google.comIf you are visiting a site that looks something like:http://amiaminifg.net/HlvCGoiogpHkzl8FaT9sOfk6G/FBouNxwSAAYDDgclCxUeTAUD.htmThen click the back button right away. These domain names are literally there one day and gone the next. Does the above URL look like it belongs to a pharmacy that is legitimate?Another thing to watch out for are website addresses that are not using domain names at all, but rather IP addresses such as the example below:http://204.37.84.153/viagra.htmThis is not just laziness on the part of the pharmacy, this is done on purpose. By using an IP address the fraudulent website can easily move anonymously from server to server without any problem. Do you think they are notifying all their previous customers of such moves?How did you hear about the pharmacy?Where did you hear about the pharmacy? Obviously the best way to hear about any pharmacy is from word of mouth but when you are online that is not always the case. There are so many ways to advertise on the internet that weeding out the good from the bad may seem daunting, but is rather quite easy. The absolute worst place to hear about any pharmacy is unsolicited email (otherwise known as SPAM) and then next worst would probably be pay-per-click (where pharmacies bid on keywords that you search for), although if the pharmacy is bidding on pay-per-click through Google Ad words (google.com) or Overture (yahoo.com, msn.com, etc) then they now are required to participate in Square Trade (a licensing body that governs online pharmacies and validates their legitimacy) before they can advertise. These pharmacies are supposed to be legit, but the screening process for them are certainly not perfect and on more than one occasion we have encountered known fraudulent sites to pop up from time to time, so be careful!Other forms of advertising are banner ads and affiliate sites and these all must be taken with a BAG of salt. To put it in perspective, those are all paid advertisements and there is no one verifying anything they promote. The only reason one website would advertise another website such as a pharmacy is to obtain a sort of commission in return. So if they are being paid to refer you to a pharmacy, the only thing they care about is which pharmacy will pay them the most for the referral, not which pharmacy is the most legit. Think about that next time you take another websites word for a recommendation.How do you identify an affiliate site? A good way is by the URL they are sending you too. For example, if a website was going to refer you to another website they would normally do so directly as in:http://www.website.comHowever, if they are an affiliate, you are likely to see other parameters in the URL that will allow the commission to be tracked. An affiliate URL could be any of the following:http://www.website.com/?affiliateID=12345http://www.website.com/product/service.html?partner=12345http://partner123.website.com/Also be careful because sometimes an affiliate URL will look like the above but then quickly redirect you to the main site (without the affiliate IDs) in order to try and fool the customer. To determine if this is the case, right click on the link you want to visit, copy the link, the paste it into your address bar. This is the only way to determine EXACTLY where you are going and what incentives are awaiting the referring website if you place your order there.How many products?This is not the be all end all of determining if a website is a scam, but most of the scam websites we come across all seem to share the characteristic of having less than 50 or 100 products in their inventory. Make note of this when you arrive at the website, and make note of the fact that it is a lot easier (and quicker) to throw up a 50 product site than a 5000 product site.Is there a visible Internet presence?How long has the site you are visiting been around? Is anyone (other than obvious affiliates) talking good/bad about it? Here is a good way to see:Go to http://www.google.com and type:cache:www.website.comsite:www.website.comlink:www.website.com(where www.website.com is the website you are researching)This will give you a few key pieces of information about the site.* When (if ever) was the last time the search engine saw this site* How many pages of the website is in the search engine* How many other sites are linking to itWhile this information can not be strictly used to tell legitimacy of any website, it can be used to determine how long the site has been around. If the site has many indexed pages and many other legitimate websites linking to it, you know it has been around for some time. This is always a good sign, since fraudulent websites typically dont stay around long enough to even be cached by a search engine let alone have all their pages indexed.SSL SecurityIn the day and age of Internet commerce you would think that by now everyone passing personal information across the Internet would be doing so securely, but sadly that is just not the case. Whenever you are visiting a site and are at a page where they are requesting information such as your credit card, make absolute sure they have an SSL certificate (little lock at the bottom right hand corner of your browser) present, because if they do not you are just asking for trouble. The lack of this symbol means that your information is being sent over the Internet in plain text, and anyone (including your ISP) could read it without trouble. Is it really worth the risk?Also be careful about calling in to place your order, because most call centers (especially those that are outsourced) will place the order over the exact same website you would use online (secure or not), so if you think you are more secure over the phone that is not the case. In fact, we prefer to use the Internet ourselves since you never really know who the person on the other end of the line is and what they are doing with your information after you hang up.Tracking Information for OrdersDo the websites provide tracking numbers for their orders? Most do, but there have been a few we came across lately that were very suspicious about how they do their business. They will provide you with a tracking number, but the only way you can track the order is through their own website. They usually provide a number of falsified reasons as to why this may be, but that is beside the point. The goal of these websites are to provide you with hope that the order is actually in transit on the way to you. In the mean time they are waiting Visa/Mastercard to pay them the funds (there is sometimes up to a month delay from the day you pay with your credit card till the day the website owner receives their funds). Once these funds have been received they simply disappear. Of course, maybe they will put extended shipping times like 5-6 weeks to give them a little more time, but whatever the case make sure that whichever company you deal with will give you a tracking number for a service you can actually track yourself (FedEx, DHL, USPS, etc).No charges at allThis actually happened to a few of our customers and so we decided to update this page with the information. Believe it or not, getting a merchant account (the ability to process MasterCard and Visa) is not an easy task, even for a legitimate website. Just having one is not a basis for legitimacy, but its a start. For those fraudulent websites that are either too lazy or incapable of acquiring such an account, they will just throw up a website and pretend to charge you for the order. They will then save all your credit card details (and those of a few thousands other people) to be sold/used at a later date for some other types of fraud. After you place an order with any new company online, give your bank a call 2-3 days later and see if it was charged. If it has not been charged, you may want to call the company and find out why. Some companies may just charge you when the order is about to be shipped so it is not an immediate cause for alarm, but then again, you never know unless you ask.Subscription FeesProbably one of the most common questions asked when people call in are Do I pay any subscription fees to join your service? There are quite a few sites selling subscriptions to their service that would allow potential customers to view lists of legitimate pharmacies carrying hard to find products that have been fully verified. So we signed up to one of these websites to see just what they would offer (after all it was only $25), and all they provided was a list of websites, nothing more, nothing less. So the next step was to verify these websites against our list of SCAM resistant methods and lets just say we were not surprised when almost all of them failed one criteria or the other, especially the criteria of them all being affiliate related. One thing we were surprised with was the recurring monthly charge even after we cancelled the service. In fact, we had to cancel the card before those charges ended up stopping, so needless to say use these services at your own risk. Internet Scams a thing of the past?Not anytime soon. It seems no matter how many times these pharmacies are shut down; they just keep popping up again and again under different names with more and more ways to take your hard-earned money. As long as it remains profitable for them to do so, they will always be there. Knowing this is the first step in protecting yourself. The next step is to have the latest tools and knowledge to weed through the good from the bad, and that is what we are here to help you do. We will update this page frequently with more ways to protect yourself online so be sure to bookmark us and check back later.From all the staff at http://www.DrugDelivery.ca, we wish you a happy (and safe!) shopping trip.DrugDelivery.ca is an online pharmacy escrow service which has been an industry leader in online medications since 2003. Our service protects both the customer and the pharmacy from the plethora of fraud on the Internet. DrugDelivery.ca is an online pharmacy escrow service which has been an industry leader in online medications since 2003. Our service protects both the customer and the pharmacy from the plethora of fraud on the Internet.

Category : General Medical: Medical Products

Getting Started with Garden and Patio Design

2008-03-24T07:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Brian Dalton
The art of managing outdoor space
Designing a patio - or a garden, is much like designing a living room or a park. It's all about space, and how you use it. To start with, you have empty space with nothing in it. Then you add plants, statues and other decorative items to fill that space and make it feel like a homey, comfortable space.. but wait! You don't want to actually fill it with stuff. Then it would look cluttered, which is not what you want. What you want is a balance between empty space and decorative items. The real issue, then, is how do you achieve that balance?Use Clustering to make the most of your outdoor space
The first mistake most people make when decorating a patio, backyard or garden is to take their planters, fountains, statues, etc. and spread them out evenly to try to cover as much space as possible. This is especially tempting for those on a tight budget, since they may not be able to afford as many accessories and accents as they would like. Spreading things out evenly, though, creates a boring space which doesn't give the eye anything in particular to focus on. It is much more pleasing to group your plants and decor items into clusters, so that several items can be seen at once, in a friendly grouping, with empty space between providing variety. This way, your visitors' eyes can move easily and comfortably from one cluster to another - each cluster is distinct in character and the empty space between emphasizes their unique natures.Try to think of each plant, statue, plaque or other accent as having its own personality, and place them together in groups that allow them to relate to each other in pleasing and complementary ways; place two low flowering plants on either side of a larger fern, or place a small statue between a palm and a vine - the possibilities are endless and are only limited by your creativity and imagination!Take your visitors on a journey
Think about what a visitor will see as they enter and move through your patio, garden or backyard. What will catch their eye first? Once they've enjoyed looking at that, what will they look at next? Where will their attention be drawn, and where will that carry their feet? Professional designers set up their spaces much like a story; the intent is to guide their visitors' attentions - and their bodies - through the space so that everything is seen and everything is enjoyed in an interesting and pleasing order.Try to create special accent zones to show off your most treasured items by placing them right in the visitor's path, or by placing them at eye level, or by surrounding them with unique accessories that set the entire cluster apart from the others. If you take a little time to consider what people will see and where they will go as they make their way through your garden space, you'll find that creating a relaxing and pleasant garden or backyard is just a matter of common sense!Don't neglect the vertical space
It's easy to think about your outdoor areas in terms of their ground or floor space - the area where you can place a plant stand, set a statue or fountain, or leave a path for friends to walk - but you must also remember the space above the ground! In some ways, vertical space is even more important than ground space!Walls or fences can be beautified with the simple addition of a garden plaque, a wall fountain or a planter on a shelf. If you want a more functional wall item, try a garden thermometer. Training a vine or some ivy up a trellis is a great way to use some vertical space and create a sense of intimacy and privacy as well.Then, of course, there are the hanging items.. hanging plants are a great way of lifting the eye up to a new vantage point and adding a vertical element to your green space. Windchimes are a special prize, because they are not only a delight to the eye, but a treasure for the ears as well. Suncatchers also add a unique beauty with their ability to catch the sunlight and turn it into yet another decorative accent. When placing hanging decor, think 'outside of the box'... hanging items can be part of the clusters you create with your plants and statuary or they can hang by themselves, defining turning points along the garden path or providing embellishment to the open space between clusters.There are so many ways to use vertical decor I can only mention a few of them here: Hang them from eaves and overhangs to adorn borders, suspend them from awnings and overhead beams for a more enclosed and intimate effect, and if you have a tree or two in your garden how about hanging a plant from a branch or placing a planter in the crook of a bough? Now you're using clustering and vertical space at the same time by using a plant to hold a plant!Winged visitors - your mobile decorations!
Birds are beautiful to look at and lovely to listen to, but most important to your garden or patio design, they move around on their own! Attract birds to your outdoor space and you'll have a constant variety of design as they flit from branch to branch or light and preen on a fountain or statue. Birds are nature's own decor and attracting them to your garden or backyard is easy.. just give them something to eat, a place to bathe and somewhere to build a nest! Birdbaths and bird feeders are excellent as statue items and ensure a steady supply of feathered friends as well. Bird houses are especially nice because they can be used for vertical space decoration as well as providing a comfortable place for sparrows and starlings to nest or just to hang out for awhile! What's a garden or patio without the beauty and song of birds?Dare to dream
These three tips are just the beginning of the process. They're intended to get you started thinking like a professional designer and considering the unlimited possibilities that your unused outdoor spaces present. Don't let your space lie dormant.. bring it to life with your own creativity, your own flair and with affordable garden decor and accessories from Springtime Gardens!!Brian Dalton owns and maintains the Springtime Gardens website, and spends countless happy hours decorating and maintaining his own patios and container gardens.Springtime Gardens - Affordable Garden and Patio DecorCopyright 2005 BKD Enterprises
Category : Marriage

Auto Insurance Shopping: What You Need to Know

2008-03-24T01:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Penny Hagerman
Shopping for auto insurance is something we all eagerly anticipate, right? We just love surfing online for the best rates, and asking our friends and family for their auto insurance recommendations.If you're thinking, "You're crazy!" you're not alone.We all know we need the protection auto insurance provides in case of an accident; but shopping for the right company with the right policy at the right price can take an investment of time and energy we're just not sure we're ready to expend.After all, we work hard enough already, right?But most people don't know that shopping for car insurance doesn't have to take a lot of time or effort. With a little reading and education on the subject in general, you can actually find great coverage at a minimal price—and have money left over for other things.Besides, knowledge is power!So, what should you know before jumping online or picking up the phone to ask for car insurance quotes?Here it is, in a nutshell:
Your auto insurance premiums are determined mainly by ratings. Insurance companies rate you according to the amount of claims risk you present, and then group you with others like you who have similar risk rates. Such factors as age and gender, where you live, your driving record, your marital status, prior insurance coverage, the number of miles you drive yearly, and your vehicle's make and model all come into play when determining ratings.Discounts can dramatically lower car insurance rates. Rewarded to those considered low risk by their auto insurance companies, discounts are available for insuring multiple vehicles, taking driver education courses, being a good student, installing safety or anti-theft devices, being a good driver, low-mileage driving and purchasing more than one policy type with the same insurer.Auto insurance requirements are set by each state individually. Depending on whether your state is a tort or a no-fault state, the type and amount of car insurance coverage required by law varies. Check with your state insurance department to find out which system your state operates under and the legal limits you must carry on auto insurance.It's wise to consider optional coverage. It makes sense to purchase collision and comprehensive coverage on your car, unless you drive an older vehicle. Collision covers damage to your car when it impacts another car or fixed object. Comprehensive pays for auto damage from almost all other causes, including fire, weather, vandalism, floods and theft.If you drive an older car, the claims you file under these circumstances may cost your auto insurance company more than your car is worth—which makes purchasing collision and comprehensive an ill-advised move.Protect yourself at all costs. Don't even sign an application for car insurance until you contact your state's department of insurance to make sure any companies you're considering purchasing from are licensed in your state! It's illegal for unlicensed insurers to sell insurance—and you may get stuck without coverage if you fail to check them out first.Once you've purchased an auto insurance policy, remember it is a legal contract. So read it carefully, make sure you understand the rights and responsibilities it spells out, and ask questions about anything you don't understand. Both your insurance agent and your state department of insurance are valuable resources for information.Do your research before making your final decision. There are a number of unbiased resources at your disposal, so take advantage of them before you sign on the dotted line. You can find auto insurance information at your local library, in articles online, from consumer groups, through auto insurance publications and, of course, from your state's department of insurance.Don't let the shopping process drag you down when it comes to auto insurance. Read up on the subject, get a grasp on the relevant issues, and move forward with confidence.You'll save yourself time and money—so you can move on to more important things!About InsureMe
Penny Hagerman is a copywriter and insurance information expert with InsureMe in Englewood, Colorado. InsureMe links agents nationwide with consumers shopping for insurance. Specializing in home, life, long-term care, health and car insurance quotes, the InsureMe network provides thousands of agents with insurance leads every year. For more information, visit InsureMe.com
Category : Finance:Insurance

A Premium Cigar, a Texas Entrepreneur, and a Walkabout

2008-03-24T00:00:00.001-07:00

Author :

walkabout, n., Australian term meaning a short period of wandering as an occasional interruption to regular work. Texas entrepreneur Michael Makens became familiar with the term walkabout while attending University in Australia. With the ability to speak 4 languages, including Chinese and Spanish, he took the term to heart and has traveled or lived in over 30 different countries. Every three to six months he is off to a new place. When asked why he is constantly on walkabout he commented, Sometimes you just need to stop your daily routine and see what else the world has to offer; you never know what youre going to find. This theory has never proven truer than during a trip to Honduras three years ago when Makens discovered one of lifes great pleasures: a hand rolled Honduran cigar. Makens says that in traveling to Honduras, all I wanted to do was find some nice cigars to bring home for my friends as gifts. As he smoked the finest cigar he had ever enjoyed, he realized that he had found much more. Now, after years of tireless work, he has founded Flor De Jardin and is fulfilling his dream of bringing premium quality cigars back home. When Makens first arrived in Honduras, he was surprised to discover that here, in the heart of the cigar world, not only were the factories and cigar producers off limits to visitors, but that there were no cigars for sale anywhere in the town. Discouraged by his less than cordial reception, he was nearly ready to move on when a taxi driver said that he could take Makens to the best cigars around. The taxi driver drove him out of the town and stopped at an old, run-down factory from which an elderly Cuban man emerged. He introduced himself and after several hours of discussion he finally warmed to Makens and invited him inside. Eventually Makens was allowed to sample a cigar and immediately fell in love with it. Everything about that first experience was amazing. It was and still is the best cigar I have ever smoked. Armed with two bundles of cigars and promises to keep in touch, Makens returned to Texas with a new future in mind. He was determined to make sure people back home could experience the same cigar that he fell in love with.It has taken three years for Makens to found Flor De Jardin. Many things went into starting this company, he says, including permits, production, and most importantly trust from my friends in Honduras. Today he is striving to introduce his cigar to the world, with quality as his top priority. From the construction of the cigar to the construction of the boxes, Makens vows to maintain excellence. I will only produce as many cigars as I can and still guarantee the quality. I dont want to be a huge name producing 20 million sticks a year; I cant maintain quality with those numbers.To learn more about Flor De Jardin go to (<a href="http://www.flordejardin.com" title="test" target="_blank">www.flordejardin.com</a>).

Category : Press Releases

Breathe New Life Into Your Half-Dead Website By Using Words That Sell

2008-03-23T21:00:00.001-07:00

Author : David Peterson

This article may come as a surprise to you. Especially since it is written by a web designer. Let me explain......Rescue Your Web Site from Boring Words and Poor Design. The difference between a successful website design and a site that brings in zero or very little business is not how nice the graphics are, not the colors you choose. It's not the flashy animation, and it's not your precious company logo. I'm not saying to remove these elements. Some of them are important. But they're mostly ego-driven. They are "me" messages, and have absolutely nothing to do with what you want your visitor to do. And what is that you ask? The answer is of course. You want your visitors to buy something.People who are considering doing business with you are only interested in one thing; "What's In It For Me?" One of the first steps toward a successful website is writing copy that tells the reader what's in it for him, in a style that is easy to read.Make More CashStudy any website that makes money and I promise you'll see the following copy elements in place: In the main body copy, the text color is always black with a white background, making it easy to read. This should be obvious, but it's amazing how many websites out there do not follow this very basic guideline. Testimonials, and other secondary elements commonly use a contrasting font such as courier, courier new. The background in light blue, beige, or yellow shade to make it stand apart from the white background of the main body copy. Verdana is the most widely used font for your body copy. This font was actually developed for use in the web. Times New Roman, Arial, and Georgiana are also popular. Never use more than two different font faces in your sales copy. The use of yellow highlights, italics and bold font-style for emphasis. Headlines and Subheads are usually a contrasting color from the black body text. A shade of red, dark green and dark blue are good colors. However, do not use more than three or four different colors. Sentence and paragraph font size is commonly between 8pt. and 12pt. Never smaller than that, and never bigger. Headlines and sub headlines usually between 14pt. and 18pt. Paragraphs never justified. Most common is left-margin with no indent. How To Write Successful HeadlinesIn your sales copy you need an attention-grabbing headline and a compelling sales message full of benefits, clearly describing what your product or service is all about. Legendary copywriter Ted Nicholas author of 14 best-selling books including "Magic Words That Bring You Riches" has these excellent tips on writing headlines "Start with a well thought out headline." "Five times as many people read the headline as the body copy. It makes sense, therefore, to spend the major portion of your effort on headlines." "A good headline motivates action by stirring an emotion" "Write as many as 250 headlines before settling on one" 13 Proven Headline WordsAnnouncing... Secrets of... New... Now... Amazing... Facts you... Breakthrough... At Last... Advice to... The truth of... Free... How would... How to... How To Write Attention-Grabbing First SentencesJoe Sugarman (of blu-blocker sunglass fame) and author of best-selling book "Advertising Secrets of the Written Word" has these tips on writing first sentences; "Keep it short, sweet and almost incomplete."For example:It's easy. It had to happen. It's time. It's crazy. The sole purpose of the first sentence is to get you to read the second sentence. How To Write Attention-Grabbing Ending Sentences"You must plant seeds of curiosity for the reader." "At the end of a paragraph offer a reason to read the next paragraph."Using sentences such as.....But there's more. So read on. But I didn't stop there. Let me explain. Now here comes the good part. These tips represent just the tip of the iceberg on breathing new life into your half-dead web site.We'll cover all of the other necessary elements in future articles. Stay tuned. I hope that you have found this information to be helpful in your pursuit of excellence. Thank you for reading. Regards, Dave Peterson Dave is not only a Professional Website Designer. He also incorporates exciting state-of-the-art marketing strategies and expertise that help clients put more cash in there pockets. Providing great value to his clients.

Category : General Site Promotion

XM vs. Sirius Satellite Radio: Which One is Better For You?

2008-03-23T18:00:00.000-07:00

Author : Matt Barstow

You have probably heard of the two satellite radio companies, Sirius Radio and XM Satellite Radio, but you may not know a lot about them such as how much each costs or what radio talent is available on each.  Many people are tired of listening to regular AM and FM radio stations for several reasons.  It may be that they are tired of being bombarded with commercials.  It may be that they do not like the programming available to them.  On the other hand, it may simply be that they are in a rural area and tired of losing their radio signal all the time.  Regardless of the reason, many consumers are turning to satellite radio as a viable alternative to regular radio stations.Both companies are able to offer you static free radio due to satellites.  XM (based in Washington D.C.) has two and Sirius (based in New York) has three satellites across the United States.  Both companies offer users commercial free radio.  Sirius offers over 125 channels and XM offers 160 different channels.  There are dedicated channels for genres of music such as jazz, folk, country and pop for diehard fans.  One cool feature of satellite radio is you can see the name of the artist playing as well as the song title.  So never again do you have to spend time wondering just who sang that song you just heard!  There are also channels for local weather and traffic, sports, comedy, women?s issues, talk shows, even old time radio shows.  Soon, you may be able to see video as well as hear audio on your satellite radios.There are also celebrity shows for both satellite radio companies.  Martha Stewart recently signed a deal to launch a 24-hour radio channel on Sirius Satellite Radio.  And most everyone has heard that Howard Stern is on Sirius as well ? uncensored.  Having gotten in trouble with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for his radio talk show, he decided to jump to the uncensored airways of satellite radio.  Since his show started, the Sirius subscriber base has increased by at least 2.7 million.  If have satellite radio and want to hear National Public Radio (NPR), you will have to subscribe to Sirius as they are the only one offering NPR.  But XM is not to be left behind by Sirius.  XM signed Snoop Doggy Dog, but the big coop is Oprah.  In September of 2006, XM users will be able to tune in to Oprah & Friends.  The new channel will offer broadcasts of The Oprah Winfrey Show, O, the Oprah Magazine and programming on fitness, health and self improvement.All this sounds great, but what do you actually need to be able to receive satellite radio?   You will need either a Sirius or an XM radio.  This does not necessarily have to be a radio only for use in your car either.  There are also home radios available today and there are even radios you can use both at home and in your car.  The price for a basic radio offered by both Sirius and XM is as low as $49.99.  You will also need to subscribe to a service.  Both Sirius and XM charge $12.95 a month for you to receive satellite signals on your radio.  However, if you have several cars with satellite radios, you can save by choosing the family plan available from both companies.Just how popular is satellite radio becoming?  In March of 2005, Hyundai announced that it would be the first automaker to put satellite radios in all of its models sold in the United States.  Each Hyundai, including the popular Sonata, Santa Fe, and Elantra models, will come equipped with an XM satellite radio.  When this was announced, shares in XM?s parent company rose by more than 8 percent.  Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz also announced in March 2005 that Sirius radios would be a dealer-installed option on some of their models.So which satellite radio should you choose?  That depends on you.  You should check out the stations available by visiting each company on the web before making a decision.  Both offer radios at comparable prices, so it really comes down to what you want to hear.  Are you a Stern fan? Then you have to go with Sirius. But if you love Oprah, you can only hear her on XM.  Regardless of which one you choose, you will no doubt be very pleased with the services and reception of satellite radio. Matt Barstow offers valuable tips and information about satellite radio, players, and services. Read his latest report answering the most popular questions about satellite radio.

Category : General Art & Entertainment: News & Talk Shows

How To Create a Blog

2008-03-23T16:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Keith Mallinson
So, you know that having a blog is a great way to generate customers. Or, maybe your not sure. Either way, creating a blog is not all that hard to do. In fact, there are many companies willing to help you create a blog.First of all, know why you are creating a blog. Do you want a product to be advertised and discussed in it? Or, do you want to create open communication with your customers? Maybe you plan to place an article there in the hopes of your visitors reading it and then browsing your website for more information? Regardless, you need to know why you will use it in order to know what you need to get out of your blog. So, when looking for software to create your blog, consider those factors.Creating a blog can enhance your site. It can allow for better communication, better attention to sales or your get your main point out easily. A few pointers about them, though. If you commit to putting a blog on your site, realize you will need to keep it updated in order to keep the interest there in your visitors. You can even find software that will help keep you updated in your blog.Having a blog is a great tool all around. But, finding the right product for you should take you some time. Time to research the best available product that is. Create your blog to fit your site and watch as it helps your site grow in visitors and search engine ranking.Keith Mallinson is author of the article exchange newsletter, offering
subscribers up to date information on all aspects of article submissions and use
of free articles for search engine
optimization

http://www.article-exchange.com

Category : Spam

Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Champ Ricardo Almeida Says ATX Athlete Nutrition Technology Formulas are Essential Tool

2008-03-23T14:00:00.001-07:00

Author :

Ricardo Almeida, a winner in competitive Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) forums including the UFC, Pride Fighting Championship and most recently the coveted King of Pancrase middleweight title, joins a growing list of professional fighters who use ATX Athlete Nutrition Technology formulas. Ricardo, a medalist at the ADCC World Grappling Championships and undefeated in six professional fights in Japan, also won four National titles and a Pan American gold medal in Jiu Jitsu while growing up in Brazil. Ricardo has used the ATX combative sports pre- and post workout formulas for the last two years and says ATX is an essential tool in his fighting arsenal. I never fight or train without itI have more energy and endurance when using ATX formulas.Ricardos academy team members are also enthusiastic users of ATX products. The team boasts two Pan American champions in Jiu Jitsu and several champions in smaller MMA events such as Ring of Combat and Sport Fighting Championships. Ricardo believes that the ATX line is one of the secrets to the winning success of his team. About ATXATX Athlete Nutrition Technology is reinventing sports nutrition. ATX develops and markets superior nutritional supplements tailored expressly for athletes in specific sports including football, boxing, martial arts and combative sports. To purchase ATX online, visit <a href="http://www.atxsport.com" title="test" target="_blank">www.atxsport.com</a>.

Category : Link Popularity

Spoonman

2008-03-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Author : J Square Humboldt
I've always taken pride in having an open mind ...

So, when the invitation came to visit Uri Geller at his estate in the English countryside back in the summer of 1987, I couldn't pass the opportunity to personally experience the phenomenon he represents and/or channels.

Uri Geller has made a career out of being controversial. His claims of possessing paranormal talents have not necessarily polarized opinions as much as the outrageous outlets by which he seemingly prefers to display them. For example, Geller has, at one time or another, alleged to have:

- bent spoons and keys merely by concentrating on them,
- made a soccer ball move just before a Scottish penalty kick was taken during an international match against England, causing the shot to be missed and victory assured for the English,
- stopped the hands of time on Big Ben,
- advised families that messages from the dead would appear to them in symbolic acts,
- sent disorienting mental signals to KGB agents at the request of the CIA, and
- healed people's afflictions merely by being close to them.

Uri Geller was an Israeli paratrooper who fought in the Six-Day War and dabbled in modeling and a small-time magician's career before bursting onto the global oddity scene by apparently having access to a part of his brain that others didn't. He seemingly had the powers to move objects and sense thoughts and do them well enough that major media and, yes, even major governments took notice. Results may have been mixed --- the CIA, interestingly, doesn't comment either way about their contact with Geller --- but they all served to perpetuate his fame (or notoriety, according to the skeptics).

When we approached his mansion, there was no doubting that his exhibitions, books, television appearances and hobnobbing with politicos and celebrities had allowed him to amass considerable wealth. Geller met us in the foyer, immediately conveying the impression that he may be a shameless self-promoter in public, but at home, he was a gracious host. This was a social call, so he was casually dressed, soft-spoken and totally unpretentious. I couldn't say that for the furniture in his drawing room, however, as the matching sofa, chairs and coffee table were composed of huge glass-shards held together by metal spines. They were more artwork than furniture, and I was quite glad we settled in the kitchen instead.

Inevitably, our conversation broached the topic of Geller's talents. He asked if I wanted to see them for myself and, after receiving the obvious response, he pulled a spoon from the utensil drawer and gave it to me to inspect. I can attest that it was a normal, everyday spoon; I tried to flex it and confirmed that its malleability was what one would expect from a common spoon.

Geller took it, kept it in clear view, and began to rub the stem in short, quick strokes from his index finger. Before my eyes, the spoon's business end began a perpendicular rise, as if awakening from a nap. When it had formed a 90-degree angle, Geller stopped rubbing and handed me the spoon again. I felt the bent segment of the stem for signs of heat, but there was none. I checked to see if the tensile strength had been diminished, but it had not.

He really did it.

Geller then asked me to pull any spoon from the drawer and he'd do it again. I noticed that they were made of sterling silver --- ie- a normal metal --- and wondered how many he'd buy during the course of a year. Meanwhile, he repeated the feat. The only factor I noticed that could have possibly come into play was that Geller made sure he was standing in the same place both times. There was a metal radiator very close to him, but I have no idea if that played any role in the result.

He then gave me a small notebook and pen and asked me to draw something simple. He stood away and there was no chance he could see what I did. As this was summer, I opted for something totally opposite from the season and sketched a Christmas tree with a star on top. I then closed the notebook and told him I was finished.

Geller reached for a totally separate piece of paper and pen. He sat at the table, thought for a moment and began to draw. He briefly stared at me and then returned to his task. It only took another minute for him to announce he was done. He put down his pen and held up his drawing.

It was a Christmas tree, with a star on top.

I was impressed. I almost wished I had something he could heal.

I could not resist asking one off-the-wall question. I knew a prominent shipbuilding family in Spain who had access to the records of many galleons which disappeared on return voyages from the New World. Many of them were laden with gold. Had Geller ever been asked to 'divine' for precious metals underwater?

He didn't bat an eye. "No," he replied, "But I don't know why I couldn't."

He pulled a book from a nearby shelf and opened it to a section of photographs in the middle. The topic was Uri Geller. The photos were allegedly taken with a sensitivity that exceeded the spectrum of light. There seemed to be a 'cloud' between Geller's head and a small object of his concentration, such as a ball. The inference was that his mental projection was being physically 'captured' on film, joining his mind with the matter on which he was focused.

I ultimately did report to the Spanish magnates what I had seen and what I suggested. They were more than interested. One of their scions promised to get back to me, and he did, but somewhere during the course of our days, the momentum to pursue such a project faded.

I did pay closer attention to Uri Geller in the next few years. The two displays I witnessed were clearly his top talents; I read accounts of similar feats from others who had met him. However, Geller wasn't as successful when he attempted to expand his range. For instance, he bought a soccer team, Exeter, and said he'd keep his mind off the pitch. I guess he did, as they were relegated to a lower division under his chairmanship.

Allegedly, Geller did later claim to avail his services to oil and gold companies. He said he got results, but that nobody wanted to disclose he was the secret to their success. He's since written a number of books --- some of the holistic tomes are actually quite logical and devoid of anything paranormal --- and continues to enjoy the company of celebrities.

I have no idea about his talents beyond what I saw. I am convinced that what I witnessed was authentic. My lingering thought is what Geller's displays to me could portend for the human condition. It's a fact that 90% of our cerebrum's utility is yet to be understood. Did all of us really have the powers of telekinesis and telepathy?

Those are deep thoughts, and I'm certainly open to further suggestions. In the meantime, if I ever come across shipping records which list a cargo of golden spoons lost at sea, I know who I'm going to call.

The personalized photo puzzle gift

2008-03-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Rory

Photo jigsaw puzzles are new and yet old. They are becoming more and more a wonderful personalized gift that can be given and enjoyed.Who does not like to receive gifts? we all do. Gifts mean a lot, especially if given by someone special. They are a way to say how much we care. Whether it is festivals or personal occasions, gifts play an important role. Gifts have become synonymous in our culture with the sentiment of caring. Christmas is probably the biggest giving time, followed closely by Birthdays, Anniversaries and local countries holidays. (For example Thanksgiving, Halloween etc.)When giving a present the most enjoyable bit is the anticipated reaction of the gift receiver. Imagining how they feel, seeing the joy on their faces as they receive the gift you have carefully chosen. Giving is something more then just a nice feeling, it is some thing that is a real part of our human make up. The more we give the happier we feel.A personalized gift is something that can really fill that need of giving. It is the time taken to think about the person. It is no secret that a personalized gift does take a bit of planning. All of this helps the gift giver to enjoy the experience even more.I heard a wonderful thought the other day by some one talking about how we grow to love those we give to. They talked about parenthood and expressed the thought that a parent loves a child far more than a child loves their parent and this because of what the parent has done for the child, not for what the child has done for the parent.As far as gifts go I would like to explain the benefits of a personalized jigsaw puzzle. In a previous article I said that a jigsaw puzzle was about memories. It was about portraying old ones in a way that help you create new memories as the custom made photo puzzle is assembled. It has the ability of portraying a picture that has meant a lot, it can portray an emotion or give a message.And on top of all this, a jigsaw puzzle is fun to do. Rory Mackay is the owner of Custom Jigsaw Puzzles at Icon Puzzles selling Personalized jigsaw puzzles and Jigsaw puzzle machines

Category : General Industry: Toy

No, Iraq is not like Vietnam-Yes, Iraq is like Vietnam

2008-03-23T05:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Jason Hastings
I found 22 ways the wars are dissimilar and 15 ways that they are similar. (A long post but a quick read.)NO. Iraq is not like Vietnam.1. What US leaders got us into the war?
a. Vietnam- Democratic Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Did you say Republican President Nixon? Liberal revisionist history has painted this war as Nixon's war.
b. Iraq- Republican President George W. Bush.2. How did the war start?
a. Vietnam- The US slowly increased their military presence in South Vietnam during the Cold War in order to stop the spread of communism. Democratic President Lyndon Johnson fabricated the Gulf of Tonkin incident to justify a full-scale war.
b. Iraq- Islamofascists slowly increased worldwide terrorist attacks against the US and other western governments. After 9/11 President Bush justified a full-scale war based on Iraqi support of al-Qaeda and Iraqi possession and historic use of weapons of mass destruction.3. Who ended the war?
a. Vietnam- Republican President Richard Nixon authorized peace talks and withdrew US forces in 1973 with a promise to the South Vietnamese government to provide financial and military equipment if North Vietnam attacked again. North Vietnam attacked again in 1975 and the US Congress refused to send the support. This doomed our South Vietnamese ally.
b. Iraq- Unknown at this time4. Goal of US involvement.
a. Vietnam- To contain communism. Failed.
b. Iraq- Regime change. Succeeded.5. Enemy goals.
a. Vietnam-The communists wanted the reunification of Vietnam a communist dictatorship.
b. Iraq- Terrorists want to kill Americans and other westerners while spreading Islamofascism. (If their goal were for the Americans to leave, they would just simply have to stop attacking. The Americans would assume that the country was secure and depart)6. Was there a traditional military victory?
a. Vietnam- No. Political (not strategic) decision was made not to conduct a ground attack and occupation of North Vietnam.
b. Iraq- Yes. The US occupied Iraq in a historically successful military victory.7. Did we kill or capture the enemy's murderous dictator?
a. Vietnam- No. Ho Chi Minh died a natural death in 1969.
b. Iraq- Yes. Saddam Hussein, who promised to fight to the death and encouraged (death threats) his subordinates to do the same, surrendered as he was found cowering in a hole in the ground.8. Bombing campaigna. Vietnam-Conducted carpet-bombing of South Vietnam, North Vietnam, and Cambodia resulting in indiscriminate collateral damage of public life support infrastructure, buildings, homes, and croplands, causing widespread civilian death.
b. Iraq- Precision bombing minimized collateral damage and civilian deaths.9. What happened after the bombing campaign?
a. Vietnam- The US departed the country.
b. Iraq- The US rebuilt the country.10. US KIAs.
a. Vietnam- 5,000/yr
b. Iraq-

Where to Get Cheap Web Hosting

2008-03-23T02:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Jay Moncliff

If you are looking for a cheap web hosting company you may wish
to know where to look. Cheap web hosting is available to anyone.
But the cost of it depends on several factors. For some people,
it may be impossible to get cheap web hosting. You will have to
see what is available based on you needs.

First, to see if you can use cheap web hosting you need to know
how much disk space you will need. How large is your website?
How many pages, video files, music files, etc. do you need?
Second, a cheap web hosting company will need to know how busy
your sight will be. If your site is going to have a lot of
visitors, cheap web hosting may not be for you. Third, how many
email accounts do you need? Cheap web hosting companies do not
usually provide many. Lastly, how much are you willing to spend?
Cheap web hosting is not as technical as the more expensive web
hosting.

If you go online, you can find a list of the top 10 cheap web
hosting companies. The top 10 cheap web hosting companies are
rated by their price, quality, and service provided. The cheap
web hosting companies are priced between $4.95 and $19.95 a
month. The cheap web hosting company's price varies on what kind
of things you need. The disk space provided can be from 3000MB
to 5000MB. The bandwidth varies from 40GB to 300GB. If this is
not enough for you, then a cheap web hosting company is not an
option for you. Most of these cheap web hosting companies offer
free set up. This will make things much easier for you. Be aware
of cheap web hosting that offers unlimited disk space. If it
sounds too good to be true, then it probably is.

The top 10 web hosting companies reviewed are: Blue Host, Power
Hosting, Pages Garden, Pro Logic Hosting, Easy CGI, Gigabyte
Package, Yahoo! Hosting, iPower Web, Lunar pages, and Dot5 Web
Hosting. All of these are very cheap web hosting companies. You
will find them listed at top10webhosting.com. At this website
you will also find customer testimonials and thorough listings
about the cheap web hosting company's services they offer to
you.

For those of you who still think that this is not cheap web
hosting, you can also find free web hosting. It still comes with
a price, however. Comcast offers free web hosting to anyone who
subscribes to their internet service. You still have to pay for
the internet service, but the web hosting is free. That's the
best that can be done about cheap web hosting. Weigh the odds,
and see which route is best for you.

Category : Beauty

Negotiating Skills Will Get You Ahead

2008-03-23T01:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Garrett Coan
Negotiating skills can help you manage lots of different kinds of life situations, both at work and in your personal relationships. Here are a few examples of where these skills can help you build an even better life for yourself:1. Many family situations require negotiating with others. Deciding which movie to see, planning how to spend money, choosing a vacation spot, and many other decisions work best when you have these skills.2. Being a good negotiator enables you to get what you want more often without resorting to becoming aggressive or pushy. Negotiating with others is more effective than simply demanding what you want or just caving in.3. You will be more successful in the workplace if you know how to negotiate. These skills enable you to stand up for yourself and get what you want more often without harming relationships with bosses and coworkers.4. Negotiation skills increase your personal effectiveness in any group situation, such as volunteer groups, the PTO, and church or synagogue groups.5. Knowing how to negotiate lessens the chances that others will take advantage of you.6. Negotiating a fair solution makes you feel good about yourself and increases othersâ™ respect for you.What Successful Negotiators DoWhat exactly is negotiation? It is a set of skills that anyone can learn. When researchers have observed the behavior of negotiators, they learned that the most successful negotiators do the following things:1. They plan ahead. Successful negotiations are rarely spontaneous. Taking the time to analyze the situation and think through your strategy is perhaps the most important element of negotiating success. This is true whether you are negotiating an important contract for your employer or negotiating your vacation plans with your family.
Example: Anthony wants to begin running again to get into better physical shape. He became a new father 18 months ago and has had no time to exercise. He anticipates that Belinda, his wife, will resist any discussion of his wanting to take time for himself, since the responsibilities of parenthood are so time-consuming. For a while, he avoids the subject, fearing that it will turn into an argument. Then he starts to feel angry and resentful. He decides to negotiate with Belinda and begins by making a list of his needs and wants, as well as her needs and wants.2. They are willing to consider a wide range of outcomes and options rather than rigidly insisting on a specific result. Negotiators who are most successful are open-minded and avoid being locked in to one outcome. They are willing to consider many possibilities and combinations of options.Example: Lisa is feeling very stressed by the long commute to her job. She was thinking of resigning until she decided to make a list of other options. She came up with several alternatives: working from home two days a week, working part-time rather than full-time, working flexible hours to avoid rush hour traffic, and working from home every fourth week.3. They look for common ground rather than areas of conflict. Pointing out areas where you and the other person are already in agreement conveys an attitude of cooperation and lessens any feeling of opposition.Example: Sandy wants her next car to be a Volvo because of their reputation for safety. George wants a sports car. She says, âœLetâ™s talk about what we agree on. First, we both agree that the car has to have a strong safety record. Second, we want to buy a new car, not a used one like last time. And third, weâ™ve set our price range as $40,000 or less.â4. They discuss the key issues in order of priority. Have a clear idea of what the two or three key issues are and which is the most important. Start with the most important issues and proceed to those that matter less. If you can reach agreement on the most important things, the lesser issues will most likely be easier to resolve.
Example: Carol wants her next family vacation to be something really specialâ"either a Caribbean cruise or a trip to San Francisco. She and her family have visited relatives or stayed at home for the past few years. She wants the family to have an experience they will always remember before Todd, their adolescent son, grow ups and moves away. She sees the key issues as follows: (1) There are only three years left before Todd leaves. He is not likely to join us for a vacation after he finishes school; (2) It is important to have an exceptional vacation at least once in your life; (3) If we plan ahead and save the money, we will be able to afford the cost of such a trip.5. Skillful negotiators avoid behavior that the other person is likely to consider annoying. This includes any of the following kinds of behavior: having an aggressive or intimidating manner, using sarcasm, using negative body language, or talking loudly. Not only do skilled negotiators avoid such behavior, they work hard at conveying an attitude of cooperation, reasonableness, openness, and friendliness.
Example: Jed is negotiating the details of his new job with his new employer in the Chicago area. When Jed moves from Memphis to Chicago to begin work, he wants Sarah, his new boss, to give him three paid days off to get settled in his new apartment. Sarah is resisting the idea. Jed says, âœI thought you would be more understanding about what it takes to get settled. A reasonable person would see that this is a small request.â This sarcastic remark is likely to create some doubts in Sarahâ™s mind rather than convince her to give Jed what he wants.6. Good negotiators avoid participating in a defend/attack spiral. You know what this sounds like:A attacks BB defends herself and attacks AA defends herself and attacks BB defends herself and attacks AWeâ™ve all experienced being caught in one of these spirals and know how nonproductive they are. Rather than perpetuating such a process, the successful negotiator puts a stop to it by choosing not to say anything that would be perceived as aggressive or defensive.Example AJim: âœI canâ™t believe you are being so rigid.âAnne: âœRigid! You should talk! You are completely bull-headed.âJim: âœRight! You should try listening to yourself. You are impossible.âExample BJim: âœI canâ™t believe you are being so rigid.â
Anne: âœYouâ™re not happy with what Iâ™ve asked for.â
Jim: âœYouâ™re damn right! You have to consider what I want.â
Anne: âœTell me more about it, then. Iâ™ll be happy to listen.âIn example A, Jim and Anne dig themselves in deeper with each statement. In example B, Anne blocks the defend/attack spiral and makes it possible for communication to resume.With practice, you can learn to use these simple skills to get more of what you want in lifeâ"without coming across like a bully. In fact, these skills help you reach agreements that are more likely to satisfy both parties while maintaining a positive relationship. Try them in your work life or at homeâ"they work equally well in either setting.Garrett Coan is a professional therapist,coach and psychotherapist. His two Northern New Jersey office locations are accessible to individuals who reside in Bergen County, Essex County, Passaic County, Rockland County, and Manhattan. He offers online and telephone coaching and counseling services for those who live at a distance. He can be accessed through http://www.creativecounselors.com or 201-303-4303.
Category : Mesothelioma

Aquarium Coffee Table - Home Decor Brought to a Whole New Level

2008-03-23T00:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Magdalena Witkowska
Is your coffee room getting a bit dull? Do you find your guests often yawning and stretching and basically sitting around with an expression of trying to endure eternal boredom?Coffee tables form one of the important parts of a household arrangement. There comes a time when the coffee table becomes too old and needs a replacement. An unbefitting coffee table can very much put your guests in an uncomfortable situation.An aquarium coffee table is more than just a utility to liven things up. It can be a soothing, interesting, and even an educating affair if done right. The purpose of an aquarium coffee table is to provide something different without being bizarre. Sure you could go in for something that suits your tastes and your sense of humor more but an aquarium coffee table is simply a safe bet.What is more, you do not really have to keep fish in it if you do not want to take on the extra burden of taking care of some delicate pets. Even while empty, the aquarium coffee table can brighten things up by many factors in an otherwise drab setting. Maybe if you buy a few pet frogs, or how about a turtle? Just fill that tank a little bit, throw in some gravel, artificial sand bars, a few plastic marine plants, an air filter just for the sheer fun of watching the bubbles, and let your pets have a different sort of quality time.Having fish in your aquarium coffee table is a big help though.If you move around a lot, whether professionally or socially, then you probably had to wait in some sort of room. Or perhaps you have had discussions over a cup of coffee. Try and recall what was available to you in terms of distraction in an otherwise boring and humdrum environment? Dollars to nickels, you had a bunch of old magazines. Worse, magazines dealing with topics that you wouldn't touch for anything. So you just sit there, looking at a bit of a wall, the lighting fixtures, and other less interesting aspects. Ever wonder what your own guests and visitors feel like when they come to your home or office and have to wait while someone offers them some coffee?The aquarium coffee table is the answer to all these problems. Throw in some literature concerning the fish in your aquarium coffee table to make things more interesting. Nothing like a conversation mover in dull pauses as a good dose of marine information sharing.Magdalena Witkowska is a successful Webmaster and publisher of www.thecaffeinebuzz.com To find out more about Aquarium Coffee Table, please visit her website.
Category : Home-and-Family:Interior-Decorating

Anger: A Sign of Empowerment Or Victimhood?

2008-03-22T21:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Nick Arrizza, M.D.
Who hasn't become angry at one time or another? I'm sure you'll agree that for what ever reason, you found a reason to justify the need for your anger the last time you found yourself in that state.So the question I have for you is: How do you justify your anger?That is, how do you justify the fact that you allow yourself to feel, entertain and/or act out feelings of anger ever?You've probably never asked yourself this question. The reason I say this is because had you ever done so you would begin to uncover a deep falsehood about the negative emotion we call anger. Let me explain.A common trigger for anger is, say, a slight, coming from someone else that makes you perhaps feel hurt and like a victim.
Another example is more innocuous like something just doesn't happen to go your way on a particular day. In other words, the universe is not looking out for you.In any case, whatever the trigger I think you'll agree that the actual experience of the anger is the same. For a moment re-familiarize yourself with that experience, that is allow yourself to feel angry and notice what it does to:1. Your sense of inner peace and composure,2. Your energy level once the anger has subsided,3. To you concentration,4. To your feeling of being in control of yourself,5. To how it makes you feel about yourself, as a human being,6. To your self esteem, your self worth, your self respect, the level of guilt you feel inside,If you reflect on the sum total of these observations I think you'll find that the anger is a "toxic" state because in summary what it does to you is that it robs you of your vital life energy, your self esteem among other things. Another way of saying this is that it is killing you.Does that make you feel more or less empowered?Does it make you feel more or less like a victim?If you know what I'm talking about and you'd like to take your life to a new level of personal mastery then you may wish to hear the special messages I have posted on the web link below.Dr. Nick Arrizza is trained in Chemical Engineering, Business Management & Leadership, Medicine and Psychiatry. He is an Energy Psychiatrist, Healer, Key Note Speaker,Editor of a New Ezine Called "Spirituality And Science" (which is requesting high quality article submissions) Author of "Esteem for the Self: A Manual for Personal Transformation" (available in ebook format on his web site), Stress Management Coach, Peak Performance Coach & Energy Medicine Researcher, Specializes in Life and Executive Performance Coaching, is the Developer of a powerful new tool called the Mind Resonance Process(TM) that helps build physical, emotional, mental and spiritual well being by helping to permanently release negative beliefs, emotions, perceptions and memories. He holds live workshops, international telephone coaching sessions and international teleconference workshops on Physical. Emotional, Mental and Spiritual Well Being.Business URL #1: http://www.telecoaching4u.com
Category : Homeschooling

5 Simple Tips For A Better Life

2008-03-22T20:00:00.001-07:00

Author : Rhiannon Williamson
How can we enjoy a better lifestyle?'Easy' I hear you say, all you need is a few million dollars a beautiful home a happy loving family and all the time in the world to sit back relax and enjoy life's pleasures.Well wouldn't that be a simple solution! A short trip to see the friendly bank manager and all your problems are in the past; hmmm maybe not - so on the basis that you're like me and don't expect any windfalls in the coming weeks here are 5 simple tips to improving your lifestyle.1: Take an amount of time out for yourself everyday. As a busy Mom or Dad it's so easy to get so totally wrapped up in our responsibilities to family and friends that we neglect ourselves. Find clever ways to give yourself a little personal time, it can be as simple as a long luxurious soak in a hot bath or the peace and solitude of sitting down to your favourite novelist - the important thing is to take a little time out for yourself every single day.2: Make a special time for your family everyday. I'm not talking about hours of deep and meaningful conversation with the whole family sat at the fireside; it's rare that any of us get time for such things! But how about making sure that everyone sits down for one meal a day together and chats about their day and its highs and low? Not forced and artificial insincere 'therapy' – that's not the idea - just a chat among family about the way the day went for them.3: Don't worry about what hasn't happened. Paranoia seems to be pervasive in today's information rich society; we spend far too much time worrying about things that we simply have no control over - from bird flu to mad cow's disease. If you're not employed to find the cure or responsible for passing it on then there's little you can do…don't waste time worrying! 24 hour news programs can add to the feeling of being out of control in a mad world, turn the TV off or over and try not to overdose on the sea of sensationalist headlines.4: Help with things that you can do something about. It's good to give and we all feel a little better for helping out, so maybe try a little fund raising for the local dog's home or for children in need - choose something that's dear to your heart, and remember it's not about how much or how little you can afford to give, rather it's all about making a little bit of effort for those less fortunate and it's about the feeling of self-worth that comes from helping out where ever you can in life.5: Enjoy the simple pleasures in life. With work pressures and the strain of modern day living it's easy to miss the more simple pleasures in life. Take your family out for a picnic or for a stroll along the beach or through a country park, take a cool drink outside and watch the sunset, find the simple pleasures that make life so much more special and worth living.Rhiannon Williamson is the publisher of Shelter Offshore an online magazine designed to help and assist people who are seeking new lives abroad. If you'd like to read more of her articles about better living and starting a new life abroad please visit her website's living abroad pages at http://www.shelteroffshore.com/index.php/living/
Category : Self-Improvement:Inspirational

Choosing Baby Announcements Can be Fun

2008-03-22T19:00:00.001-07:00

Author : James Hunt
After the baby shower has ended, and youâ™re waiting to deliver your familyâ™s latest addition, is a good time to begin thinking about whether or not you want to announce the delivery with baby announcements. Baby announcements can let the special people in your life know you and the baby are well and happy. It also gives you the opportunity to show off your new little one.Not everyone chooses to send baby announcements, but they can be a nice touch. They can also serve as a second thank you note for baby shower gifts. Friends and relatives like to know that the gift they thoughtfully selected is receiving use and is appreciated.If you have a knack for crafts, and enjoy them, making your own baby announcements can be a rewarding and fun activity. It is possible to work on them while the baby is sleeping. It helps fill the hours, and having a creative task can help stave off feelings of post-partum depression.For those who prefer not to make their own announcements, there is no shortage of styles to choose from. There are cards that reflect babyâ™s gender with phrases like âœItâ™s a girl!â or âœWelcome to our baby boy!â Some cards are designed as picture holders. Because most hospitals take pictures, and offer packages of large amounts for purchase, a card with a built in picture holder is a good choice.Of course, there is the option to meld the two. Computer software for home PC, and kiosks at many stores, give you the ability to create personalized baby announcements without a talent for crafts. And, you can always send your loved ones a picture attached to an email.No matter which method you choose, sending baby announcements can be a fun way to mark this very special occasion.James Hunt has spent 15 years as a professional writer and researcher covering stories that cover a whole spectrum of interest.
Read more at

http://www.baby-announcements-central.info
Category : Innovation

Validity of Nicotine Replacement Therapy Studies in Serious Question

2008-03-22T18:00:00.001-07:00

Author :

2004

Free Adult Diapers

2008-03-22T17:05:00.001-07:00

Author : Steve Valentino
Adult diapers, as is obvious by the name, are 'diapers' for adults who deal with urinary problems and bowel weaknesses. Many individuals who cannot control their bowels and their urine cycles use adult diapers. They are also used by pregnant women who feel like urinating urgently and frequently. Basically, adult diapers are mostly used by people who have less or no control over their bowel movements or urine control.There are many diaper brands selling diapers specifically designed and targeted for grown-ups. Many of these brands often send a supply of adult diapers to users as free samples; so that their brand gains momentum and diaper users are aware of that particular brand. Often when a new type of adult diaper is introduced, the company that is marketing it will send out a few free diapers to adults who use them and are on their marketing database. In this way, customers are aware of the new brands, and if the particular brand is comfortable and easy to use, the sales of that brand pick up quickly, thanks to the free sampling method of marketing.Many manufacturers of adult diapers also engage in another way of giving out free samples. They publish a catalog featuring their entire range of adult diaper products and distribute these catalogs among many potential customers featured on their database. The customers can then request a particular type of diaper be sent to them as a free sample. On trying the free sample, they review it; gauge its comfort, its quality, as well as its level of absorbency. It they are satisfied with the product, they will order more from the catalog at the quoted price.Therefore, we see that users often buy products like adult diapers only after trying the free samples.Adult Diapers provides detailed information on Adult Diapers, Adult Cloth Diapers, Adult Disposable Diapers, Adult Diaper Rash and more. Adult Diapers is affiliated with Alzheimers Care.
Category : Home-and-Family:Elder-Care

A Fascinating History of Tarot And What You Should Know About Tarot Reading

2008-03-22T17:03:00.001-07:00

Author : Cucan Pemo

Most of what I'm going to lecture from come from Cynthia Giles' book: The Tarot, History, Mystery and Lore and some other resources.The origins of the Tarot have been attributed a wide range of wacky sources paleolithic cave paintings, gypsy folk lore, Moroccan mystics and even gifts from space aliens to Egyptian priests!. Most of these stories are, of course, speculation of the wildest, most ridiculous kind, and only serve to muddy the waters when it comes to understanding the Tarot. If youre going to use the cards, its important to understand where they come from so that you know their rich history, their potential and their value and not put faith in silly urban legends. Tarot on parade The first mention of the cards was in Italy in the 14th century, called Tarocco and used for games and already, authorities were lecturing against its use. The first known deck was made for the Vicsconzi-Sforza family of Milan, designed by the artist Bembo. According to Tarot expert Gertrude Moakley, the various characters illustrated in the major arcana represented the triomfi, or parade, that accompanied Italian celebrations.Historians believe that there may have been other cards that existed to represent other characters but have disappeared over time. Few decks of Tarot cards exist for those early days, but theres enough similarity in artwork to make it clear that the deck was in common use in that time. Some historians believe that the Tarot was originally only used as a gaming deck to play a game called tarocchi until occultists began using them for divination.Taking Europe by stormThe next big milestone in Tarots history came in the late 1700's when Court de Gebelen, a member of a secret society of occultists, came across the a game of tarocchi and became obsessed with the cards. He believed them to be imbued with important symbolism which he attributed to ancient Egyptian lore. De Geblen wrote a nine-volume treatise titled "Le Monde Primitif" in which he discussed the meanings of the Tarot. That he attributed the Tarots symbolism to the Egyptians was based less on any real fact than on the fascination that Europeans had with Egypt at that time, believing it to be the center of all of mans early wisdom. Use of the cards for divination spread during that time, with a book by a man named Etteilla in 1783, in which he offered his interpretations of the cards. In fact, professional mystics began using the Tarot throughout Europe, although there was no consensus of what the cards actually meant.The mystical background of the TarotCard readings have long been associated with Gypsies, although they certainly werent responsible for their creation. For hundreds of years, Gypsies made their way across the world, living by their wits and earning a living by any skills that they could market. Gypsies were exotic, feared and looked doypsies, although they certainly werent responsible for their crewn on, but there was an aura of romance about them that caught the imagination of Europeans in the 1800's. A book was published towards the end of the century called The Tarot of the Bohemians, attributing the Tarot to the Gypsies (who Europeans commonly believed came from Egypt). Interestingly, Gypsies used regular playing cards for divination not the Tarot.In the 19th century, the famed mystic Eliphas Levi Zahed (whose real name was Alphonse Louis Constant) connected the Taror with Hebrew mysticism the Kabbalah. He saw the Tarot as a key to life, a tool that man can use to develop himself as a human being, as a way to grow so that he might find heaven. His work outlined 22 connections to the tarot major arcana, making it a tool to be used on the path to enlightenment.The modern Tarot deck was most influenced by the cards used in the late 1800's by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. The order was founded in England by three men who, according to lore, found an old secret manuscript written in code, deciphered it as the by-laws of a secret German society, and received permission to start their own group in England. Years later, the woman who gave them permission died, and the German members disavowed the British branch, saying they never got permission after all.The modern Tarot is bornDespite its contentious beginnings, the Golden Dawn became a very influential group, with two members in particular doing a great deal to spread the popularity of occultism Aleister Crowley and Arthur Edward Waite. Crowley, a protg of the Golden Dawn founders in England, created a Tarot called the Book of Thoth. Waite created the Tarot deck thats most familiar to modern users. Working with an American artist named Pamela Coleman Smith, Waite used a storytelling theme, utilizing characters from myth, legend and religion, allocating a group of symbols to each card that gives them unique meaning. His Tarot formed the foundation on which most decks that followed were based.The next milestone in the Tarots history came in the 1920's, when a Golden Dawn member named Paul Foster Case started a group in Los Angeles called Builders of the Adytum (BOTA). The BOTA deck is in black and white, created so that the owner could color the drawings themselves (it was a tradition in the Golden Dawn that each member had to make their own deck as part of their training). The group offers Tarot training to this day, although their interpretations of the cards are disputed by many divination experts.Today, there are countless versions of the Crowley/Waite Tarot available, some with magnificent artwork, others less impressive. Whatever your choice of deck, using the Tarot as a divination tool is a personal experience, one thats origins reach far back in history. Hopefully, knowing the background of this ancient art will enhance your connection to the cards, and to your own readings. Make my wish come true - Make my dreams come true. http://themessageofamaster.blogspot.com FREE rare eBook has changed thousands of lives in more ways than one! Download your copy today! Free Tarot Reading Secrets http://www.TarotReadingSecrets.com to help you understand your destiny in life and plan your life with confidence. Improve your love, money, health, work and career luck today. Tons of free tools and resources available!

Category : General Education

The New Drug Recall Lawyers

2008-03-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Richard Martin
Given the monstrous size and profitability of drug companies, some plaintiff lawyers are considering focusing more of their practice on drug litigation. In fact, shortly after Merck's announcement of the Vioxx recall, some large plaintiff firms started aggressive media campaigns aimed at bringing in prescription drug injury victims. The media blitz has been non stop. Billboards, TV, web marketing, radio, and direct mail are just some of the marketing vehicles that attorneys have used to try and find new cases for them to work on. Many plaintiff law firms are no longer focusing on chasing run of the mill car accidents. Some of them have gone so far as to reposition themselves as "drug recall lawyers," seeing that the future of their practice may be shaped by the initial outcome of these new pharmaceutical cases.When Merck chose to withdraw Vioxx, the CEO stated that a voluntary recall was the responsible course of action. Prior to pulling Vioxx from the market, Merck was spending $500 Million per year on advertising Vioxx. Vioxx is classified as a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID. However, Vioxx belongs to a new family of NSAIDs called "COX-2 inhibitors." There are not many COX-2 inhibitors on the market in the US: Bextra and Celebrex may be the only other two.Both the number of potential Vioxx plaintiffs and award amounts of the lawsuits are projected to be extremely large. The investment bank S.G. Cowan recently estimated that eventually more than 600,000 plaintiffs could file suit in the Vioxx case. Furthermore, some investment banks think that plaintiffs may file for more than $10Billion in damages in years to come. Even the national TV networks have covered the Vioxx withdrawal. A November 2004 story on the Vioxx withdrawal appeared on CBS News' 60 Minutes. The CBS story implied that the US Justice Department is conducting an investigation and the Securities and Exchange Commission is looking into Merck's conduct. Given the media coverage of the Vioxx withdrawal and the number of people who were prescribed Vioxx, there may be many new "Drug Recall Firms" founded in years to come.You may reproduce this article on your website. We would appreciate a link back to our site Legal Articles
from you. This article may not be altered and links should be kept live. Thanks.Richard Martin is a contributing writer at http://www.legalclips.com. LegalClips.com is a collection of lawyer articles and other resources.
Keyword : vioxx, lawyer, plaintiff lawyer, bextra, celebrex, law, attorney, pharmaceutical, drug, litigation

How to Find Public Domain Content

2008-03-09T00:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Joey Robichaux
One of the easiest places to find authoritative public domain content is ... your local used bookstore or library!True -- virtually everything contained in the books you'll find at these locations were protected by copyright. But ... it's also true that many of these copyrights have expired -- making the contents of those volumes completely public domain.US copyright law has gone through several iterations -- but the two things you need to remember are "75 years from copyright date" and "Sonny Bono"!The copyright law originally stated that a copyright would last for 75 years. Thus, if a book were copyrighted in 1900, the copyright would expire in 1975. If a book were published in 1920, the copyright would expire in 1995. If a book were copyrighted in 1922, the copyright would expire in 1997. But ... if a book was copyrighted in 1923 or later, then things take on a whole new slant ... courtesy of then-Congressman Sonny Bono.You see, a particular item was originally copyrighted in 1923. It's copyright was due to expire in 1998 -- sending this item into the public domain. This is normally not a problem -- truthfully, most people don't care about things copyrighted so far back. Expiring the copyright can actually grant these works new life in the public domain.In this case, though, the item due to expire was a mouse -- Micky Mouse!Disney was understandably very concerned about their flagship icon becoming available to anyone in the public domain. Congressman Sonny Bono introduced legislation to extend copyright protection for an additional 20 years. This legislation passed in 1998 -- but only applied to items that were not yet in the public domain. Thus, an item copyrighted in 1992 was public domain after 75 years -- but anything copyrighted in or after 1923 was protected for 95 years.So -- to play it perfectly safe and legal -- if the copyright date on a published work is 1922 or earlier, the item is now in the public domain and may be freely used (but not necessarily re-copyrighted and sold). If the copyright date is 1923 or later, it's best to leave it alone till at least the year 2018!So what good is a book published and copyrighted prior to 1923? Well, if it's a book of sheet music -- or a book of classic poetry, literature, or theater -- or a book of formula, travel, or ... well, you get the idea. Some things become dated -- but some things are just as current today as they were when they were originally published.This doesn't mean you can find a book by Mark Twain in the bookstore and freely copy and distribute it. You'll likely find the copyright on that published work is fairly current. However, if you find an old version of the same book published and copyrighted prior to 1923, then you can safely use it!The best places to spot these treasures -- try your local public library, used bookstores, or estate sales.Joey Robichaux maintains the Free Sheet Music Downloads website at http://www.freesheetmusic.net.

This directory is one of the oldest free sheet music resources on the internet and features public domain sheet music.
Keyword : free sheet music, public domain

Lawsuit Anatomy

2008-03-09T00:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Frederick Graves
Anatomy of a LawsuitLearning the anatomy of civil lawsuits is as easy as spelling "CAT".Complaint - Answer - TrialIt's as simple as that!Master this simple truth and you will soon be operating successfully in court.Plaintiffs file complaints.Defendants file answers.Judges examine the facts and law at trial to decide who wins.It's not difficult if you keep these three steps in mind.Every lawsuit has this same fundamental anatomy.Complaint. Answer. Trial.If you can spell "CAT", you can master the basics.C = Complaint … Where the case begins, when the plaintiff complains.A = Answer … Where the defendant responds to the plaintiff's complaint.T = Trial … Where the judge (or jury) decides the final verdict.After the plaintiff files his complaint, the defendant may file a flurry of motions that seek to have the complaint stricken or dismissed so he need not answer.If the flurry of motions fails, the defendant must answer the complaint.Once the defendant is compelled to answer the complaint (and sometimes before) both parties are permitted to engage in discovery of evidence procedures, i.e., to demand production of documents and things, to require the other side to admit facts and law under oath, to ask relevant questions of anyone, to put evidence on the public record, and to attempt to settle the case and avoid the expense, delay, and uncertainty of going to trial.If the parties cannot settle their dispute during the discovery phase, the court must examine the evidence, hear testimony, consider arguments of law, and render its final judgment.It's just that simple.By knowing this, you can write a powerful complaint or avoid filing an answer by moving the court to dismiss or strike the complaint or require a confusing or poorly worded complaint to be re-written. You can get the evidence you need with effective discovery tools, getting facts into evidence,demanding your rights, and forcing the court to do what's right ... according to law.The anatomy of a lawsuit is no more complicated than this. CAT. By knowing the basics you strengthen your case.Resolve conflicts peaceably, according to the rules that control both judges and lawyers in our courts.About The AuthorAttorney Frederick Graves created Jurisdictionary (www.jurisdictionary.com) in 1997 to provide self-help for those who either cannot afford a lawyer or aren't sure they can trust the lawyer they have. Learn more at http://www.jurisdictionary.comlawbook@jurisdictionary.com
Keyword : lawsuit,lawsuit anatomy,lawsuit filing,courts,laws,crimes,legal,legal cases,lawyers,attorneys,judge

The Real Solution for the FTC Crackdown

2008-03-08T23:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Floyd Tapia
I imagine you have heard the calamity howlers, the pessimistic viewpoints on what web owners should and should not put on their websites and no doubt every scare tactic used to get you to buy some protection. Well......you should be scared. What am I selling? The simple idea of taking action before you possibly find yourself in a legal entanglement that could literally cost you thousands of dollars AND unimagineable stress.You don't think it could happen to you. Well, I think it's time to do a reality check in your world.Thousands of frivolous lawsuits in areas too numerous to mention are brought on countless unsuspecting business owners and the average person every day.The truth is, when some lunatic and their blood sucking attorney financially and emotionally circumsizes you, they go for all your assets; both personal and business.In this article, we are going to talk about one type of lawsuit that is getting huge amounts of attention on the Internet which involves none other than the FTC.Now, the FTC is really ramping up to crack down on Internet Marketers, and actively go after those of us that don't rigidly adhere to all their rules about disclosure and documentation.I've heard that they filed 45 criminal and civil law enforcement actions against Internet Marketers, on May 15th alone. This is only the beginning.Due to this inherent rise of "websuits" as I call them, there are now various legal document sites showing up right and left on the Internet that are designed and have every intentions of protecting you.One website example is AutoWebLaw. Go to http://protectyourself.marketingvault.net to fully understand what these experts are recommending.But I think the underlying question here is: "Do they really work?" In my humble opinion, they're simply a start.But what happens when the unthinkable emerges and you're served with legal papers that you are being sued? God, I hope you never find out how this feels.But statistically, you have a 1 in 3 chance of being in a lawsuit this year... and the year after that.My point? All of us need lawyers at some point in our lives.But don't allow the simple idea of legal documents, though they'll help, to fool you into thinking that they alone will give you full protection against a lawsuit by the FTC or the IRS... or anyone for that fact.I have worked in the legal industry for years and I am here to tell you, 'it ain't gonna happen.' I DO recommend these types of documents so that you will be fully compliant on the Internet.But it will take much more than that to ultimately protect your assets from being frozen or at the very worst, paying huge fees to be represented for something that you did not do wrong or the intention was quite innocent.Remember, "ignorance of the law is no excuse." So what's the answer?There are affordable ways of getting the added peace of mind so that you will not be penniless and in severe debt as a result of the FTC crackdown. What you may ask?"Bulletproof" lawsuit protection. You and I and most people in the United States need this immediately.I suggest doing a search on the Internet under such topics as 'asset protection' and 'lawsuits' to fully understand what you are putting at risk by not having such protections in place now.But above all else, no matter what you end up doing to protect yourself now, I always advise everyone to seek legal counsel before attempting anything on their own. Good sound advice.About The AuthorFloyd Tapia has over 8 years of tireless work and research experience on the topic of total asset protection. His news tips, The Tapia Brief, has up-to-date tips on affordable bulletproof lawsuit protection for all: http://www.lawsuit-protection.com/the_tapia_brief.html.info@lawsuit-protection.com
Keyword : ftc, internet marketing, legal, internet marketing strategy

Can I Get Social Security Disability for Fibromyalgia?

2008-03-08T23:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Jerry Lutkenhaus
Social Security has Impairment Listings for Heart Ailments, Back Ailments, etc. Fibromyalgia is not found among the Impairment Listings. Thus, an applicant cannot obtain a favorable disability "Impairment Listing" ruling because Fibromyalgia is not found among the Listings. The inquiry must proceed further.Social Security has a five step disabilty process. First, if you are working, then the inquiry stops. Second, if you do not have a "severe impairment," the inquiry stops. Third, if you are not working and you have a "severe impairment" the next inquiry is does your "severe impairment" meet or equal a Listed Impairment. You cannot win a fibromyalgia case at this step because there is no listing for fibromyalgia although it can be a "severe impairment" and get you past step two. Thus, with a fibromyalgia case, you will have to go to step four. At step four the judge must decide if you can do your past relevant work (PRW). This is any work you did in the past 15 years prior to your onset of disability. If the judge finds you cannot do PRW, then you go to step five which is can you do any other work in the national economy. All my fibromyalgia cases have gone to step five.Social Security has begun to recognize fibromyalgia as a legitimate impairment:On May 11, 1998 the Deputy Commissioner for Disability indicated as follows: Fibromyalgia is a disorder defined by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) and we recognize it as medically determinable if there are signs that are clinically established by the medical record. The signs are primarily the tender points. The ACR defines the disorder in patients as "widespread pain in all four quadrants of the body for a minimum duration of 3 months and at least 11 of the 18 specified tender points which cluster around the neck and shoulder, chest, hip, knee, and elbow regions." Other typical symptoms, some of which can be signs if clinically documented over time, are irritable bowel syndrome, chronic headaches, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, sleep disorder, severe fatigue, and cognitive dysfunction.Thus, with the above in mind, you try to win a fibromyalgia case with a report from a doctor who specializes in arthritis or rheumatology and who can state the claimant's case meets the above guidelines & the impairment is so severe it affects the claimant's functions to such a degree the claimant cannot work. Of course, the doctor needs to itemize how the fibromyalgia adversely affects standing, walking, lifting, sitting, reaching, etc. The doctor's treatment records need to support his disability report. Recently, I have good success in this area. However, there still is a lot of prejudice out there against fibromyalgia.For more advice, you can contact us at www.virginiadisabilitylawyer.com or email us at jervalaw@aol.com or reach us at www.geraldlutkenhaus.comThis may be considered AN ADVERTISEMENT or Advertising Material under the Rules of Professional Conduct governing lawyers in Virginia. This note is designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed.Gerald G. Lutkenhaus, representing Social Security Disability claimants for 30 years in the Central Richmond Area in Virginia. Given Martindale Hubbell's highest rating in 2003, http://www.virginiadisabilitylawyer.com
Keyword : virginia disability attorney, virginia disability lawyer, virginia fibromyalgia attorney,

Access to E-records by Taxing Authorities: A Case for Pakistan (Part II)

2008-03-08T22:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Adil Waseem
All tax authorities to e-commerce transactions should investigate the record retention requirements of each other's respective jurisdictions.In September 1998 Revenue Minister Dhalinal of Canada;"…Interpretation Circular 78-10RS and 779R (Book and Record Retention/Destruction) will be revised to explain the Department's views with respect to the electronic environment. Revenue Canada will work with authorities in other OECD Countries relating to information exchange as they currently do under the WTO and NAFTA relating to customs and excise matters such as Rules of Origin of Goods. Revenue Canada also believes that there are adequate search and seizure powers under the Criminal Code and the Income Tax Act to deal with the difficulty of accessing encrypted information. "An electronic signature may be proved in any manner, in order to verify that the electronic document is of the person that has executed it with the intention and for the purpose of verifying its authenticity or integrity or both.Presumption relating to advanced electronic signature, in any proceedings, involving an advanced electronic signature, it shall be presumed unless evidence to contrary is adduced, that the electronic document affixed with an advanced electronic signature, as is the subject-matter of or identified in a valid accreditation certificate is authentic and has integrity; The advanced electronic signature is the signature of the person to whom it correlates, the advanced electronic signature was affixed by that person with the intention of signing or approving the electronic document and the electronic document has not been altered since that point in time.Although digital signature technology has been available for some time, it has only recently become feasible to use digital signatures to authenticate a document. This breakthrough has made digital signatures one of the most important areas of development within electronic commerce. It is important because the technology, and the law governing it, must develop in a way that promotes, or at the very least does not inhibit, the growth of electronic commerce.EncryptionThe role of encryption and digital signatures go hand in hand in the authentication of records. The cryptography provides the technology used in digital signatures as well as for encryption. Encryption transforms an electronic document unreadable, thereby providing another level of security and increasing the attractiveness of the Internet as a means of transferring confidential data of the type often used in electronic commerce making the access to data possible for purpose of locating of database.Clipper ChipThe government should make consistent attempts to introduce legislation on the clipper Chip, or a similar alternative. The Clipper Chip is a device enabling the government to gain access to communications by obtaining a key held by two escrow agents. The technical aspect of clipper chip is well known to information technology experts. But for legal profession it is device by that the record can be authenticated and verified.Computer ForensicsThere is numbers forensics that performs their legal duties regarding digital discovery of the documents. When we look into the legal history of these digital discovery authorities, their function as certified authorities to all document produced in digital form developed with advanced with electronic communication. The assistance of computer forensics is employed by foreign courts for purpose of getting forensic view about the e-data or electronic evidence.The Computer Forensics authorities' employs various tools for purpose of verification of documents, starting from identify, acquire, restore, and analyze electronic documents for their admission and production before court of laws. There verification of documents is not limited to local disk data but even the remote server data is verified. From authentication of record to local hard drive to remote server, the certified forensic discovery authorities help in testifying acquired from data from NT, Novell, UNIX, and Linux servers and PCs, among others.IdentificationThere procedure adopted by the digital discovery authorities start from electronic discovery is identification. The electronic discovery is the identification of likely sources of relevant information comparing it with original electronic document. The identification of computer document and its comparison with original record through critical step to help ensure that data is not overlooked and each aspect of date is properly maintained and there is no tampering of database while its production before court of law. There view about the electronic document are requested of disk or remote documents and go on-site to inventory the data and look for hidden sources of taxpayer for evasion of record. In many cases, they present a written e-discovery report of web site and its links with database where it has been hosted.AcquisitionThe Identification of electronic documents is only the first step for proper identification of website link with data base. Once identified, the second step that they have to follow to gather the relevant information for authentication of the electronic evidence as to judge the reliance of the evidence. They take care to collect relevant information for coming to right conclusion regarding the authenticity of e-documents. They take care to avoid tampering of record and to maintain defensible chain-of-custody. There are three critical procedural phases judging the reliance of the electronic evidence and its presentation before the court of laws. Computer forensics employs uses forensically tools, their written protocols and internal procedures ensure that their work product with stands scrutiny in all jurisdictions where it is going to be presented before the court.RestorationThere are many hidden sources of electronic evidence that can not be retrieved without seeking the assistance of the authorities of foreign jurisdiction. Once information regarding the evidence existed out state jurisdiction gathered, document must have to follow the same procedure of as defined in acquire. Rather it is foreign jurisdiction or not, important information is not retrieved without tested forensic procedures and documentation. The computer forensics helps courts to avoid any unnecessary production of documents, while ensuring that potentially relevant documents are presented, including encrypted, compressed, and password-protected files, are presented before court properly.SearchingAnother method is used is filtering of electronic database received in electronic discovery. While undergoing search of the electronic evidence, the computer forensics uses a variety of methods, tools and appropriate search technique to widows and other operating system for increasing reliability of electronic document to the court of law. The electronic forensics authorities are given number of powers in connect with assessing the reliance of the electronic and figuring out the hidden sources of evidence.ProductionThe production and admission before the court of law is primary function of these forensics authorities and the computer forensics produces legal documents of data to court by their certification. They are granted certification power by statute or they are working independent autonomous bodies being famous for their impartial reports, they are often asked by court to give opinion about the electronic having agreed by both parties to suit. They produce copies of the data selected for review and offer recommendations and certification regarding the nature of electronic database to be viewed organizes data as evidence.VerificationThe computer Forensics perform number of function, one of them is offering detailed written certified reports and analyses to courts to just adjudication of matter. As being declared as "friend-of-the-court" experts, they assists judges with the interpretation electronic evidence being presented in court proceedings and the testimony of other electronic discovery experts. The court often needs the opinion of these experts regarding the building of the electronic evidence and reliance. For getting appropriate and meeting the reliance standard, although careful attention to detail in the early stages of electronic discovery builds solid expert testimony. The real aim of computer forensics to assist the court in reaching just conclusion regarding production of data as evidence but in Pakistan we have not yet legislated on role of computer forensics as expert role for identification, production and its admission before the court of law.Legislative proposalsThe legal requirement to get access to information or database for the purpose of authentication of record which is in electronic form it can only be met by providing access to the information in paper or other non-electronic form; but, if the maintenance of the integrity of the database cannot be assured, the person who must get access to the data must notify every person to whom access is required to be provided of that data base as evidence; and if requested to do so, provide access to the information in electronic form.The form and means of access to the information reliably assures the maintenance of the integrity of the information, given the purpose for which, and the circumstances in which, access to the information is required to be provided; and the person to whom access is required to be provided consents to accessing the data in that electronic form .But the question of out cross border jurisdiction of taxing authorities is not possible unless international treaties are signed and tax laws are amended for the purpose of empower the tax administration to get access e-transaction database which is located at remoter server.The mentioned below are my legislative proposals that can address the legal issue of access to e-records.The Legislation of privacy and securities issuesLegislation has been suggested to address "privacy issues raised by the practices of the Internet industry, including the gathering of information about individuals' patterns of access to Internet sites ." Most of the central and local legislation, however, doesn't prohibit independent third parties from gathering and disseminating your personal information to the millions on the net.Amending Sale Tax Act 1990The section 25 of sale tax act only deals with accessibility of sale tax officer to records of electronic data base where no specific direction is available for the getting access to record which has kept at remote server.Here we need to insert the words 'or hosted in remote web server' in section 25 of the Sale Tax Act 1990.,"…A person who is required to maintain any record or documents under this Act or any other law shall, as and when required by an officer of Sales Tax, produce record or documents which are in his possession or control or in the possession or control of his agent; and where such record or documents have been kept on electronic data or hosted in remoter web server, he shall allow access to such officer of Sales Tax and use of any machine on which such data is kept."The insert of appropriate wordings will enhance the power of tax administration for purpose of getting access to e-transaction data base.Amending Income tax ordinance 2001The accessibility income tax officer to get access to e-records which has kept at remote web server is ineffective by non-existent of statutory words, phrase or clause in clause (a) subsection (1) section (175) of income tax ordinance. I recommend the same phrase as I have recommended in section 25 of sale tax act of 1990."…In order to enforce any provision of this Ordinance , the Commissioner or any officer authorised in writing by the Commissioner for the purposes of this section – (a) shall, at all times and without prior notice, have full and free access to any premises, place, accounts, documents or computer or remoter web server…";I will describe in second chapter, how the code criminal procedure can be made effective for search authorization of e-records uploaded at remoter server.The gauging the effectiveness of legislative proposalsThere are various standards for determining the effectiveness of the legislative proposal, first-practicability-whenever the legislation is promulgated that must be feasible to enforce it. We how to determine rather any such amendment is put in operation will serve the good or not? Rather any such facility is available for tax officer to access the e-records hosted at remote server, if no, then how these legislative provision can made effective? There is one simple answer to this question by increasing the efficiency of taxing officer. Secondly, predicting the proposed amendment by its intrinsic structure, what could be best substituted phrase that can remove deficiency of enacted provisions? That is 'hosted at remote web server'?SummaryThere are various devices are used for getting access to e-records, like encryption, clipper chip and computer forensics, and to extend legal right to access the e-records, we need to make appropriate statutory amendments in tax laws.The writer is an advocate of High Court and practicing immigration and corporate laws in Pakistan since September 2001. Author can be contacted by Adil Law Company (Advocates and Immigration lawyers) Office No.3 2nd Flr Hafeez Chambers 85 The Mall Rd Lahore Pakistan Telephone: +9242-6306195 +9242- 6360108 Fax: + 9242 6360108 Cell: +92300 4254910 E-mail: adil.waseem@lawyer.com
Keyword : pakistan law,pakistan politics,pakistan jurisdiction,pakistan legal system,pakistan ecommerce law

Fen-Phen Settlement Lawyer: Lawsuit Facts

2008-03-08T22:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Anna Henningsgaard
Fen Phen was used as a diet drug for many years. It is a combination of two drugs, fenfluamine and phentermine. The FDA requested its removal from the market late in 1997 when reports arose of fen-phen's role in causing heart valve disease and pulmonary hypertension. Echocardiograms of women taking fen-phen revealed a 30% rate of heart valve abnormality, even though patients had no symptoms. In July of 1997, researchers at the Mayo Clinic reported dozens of cases of a rare valvular disease among women who took fen-phen. It was at this point that doctors were alerted to start warning patients of the dangers of fen-phen.Fen-phen works by increasing seratonin levels in the brain. Seratonin is responsible for moods including a feeling of satiety, or being full. The "fen", fenfluramine, alone causes severe mood swings and depression, which made it unpopular. By adding the stimulant phentermine to counterbalance the depressing effects, people did not feel depressed by the drug-imposed chemical imbalance, they only felt less hungry. Unfortunately, the excess seratonin was also found to be responsible for the serious heart valve problems.Directly after the link between fen-phen and heart disease was revealed, 66 reports came in of heart valve disease associated with the drug. Also, patents who were only taking one of the two, fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine, experienced the same symptoms. Fen-Phen went off the market in 2004, and is now no longer widely available. As recently as April of 2005, American Lawyer magazine reviled that more than 50,000 product liability lawsuits have been filed by fen-phen victims. Total liability paid out to these victims could reach as high as $14 billion.Millions of dollars in damages have already been rewarded, as Wyeth, the pharmaceutical company that marketed fen-phen, is found responsible for the damage they have caused. Two plaintiffs in Philadelphia were each rewarded $100 million for the damage they suffered from fen-phen. If you or a loved one has been hurt by this disease, contact a lawyer immediately and you can get the drug company to pay.To find out why you need a Fen-Phen
lawyer and read articles about dangerous drugs and Fen-Phen
side effects, visit our website at hugesettlements.com.If you have
any questions or concerns about filing a Fen-Phen lawsuit, please contact a professional
Fen-Phen
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Keyword : fen phen,fenphen,fenphen lawsuit,fenphen lawyer,fenphen attorney,lawyer,attorney,side effects,heart

FTC Names Dirty Dozen Email Scams

2008-03-08T21:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Richard Chapo
The Federal Trade Commission is responsible for issuing and enforcing rules for consumer issues on the Internet. As part of this process, the FTC has published a list of the 12 scams you are most likely to receive as email.The Dirty Dozen ScamsThe "dirty dozen" are:1. Business opportunitiesThese business opportunities make it sound easy to start a business that will bring lots of income without much work or cash outlay. The solicitations trumpet unbelievable earnings claims $1,000 a day or more without doing any work. Many business opportunity solicitations claim to offer a way to make money in an Internet-related business. Short on details but long on promises, these messages usually offer a telephone number to call for more information. In many cases, you'll be told to leave your name and telephone number so that a salesperson can call you back with the sales pitch.The scam: Many of these are illegal pyramid schemes masquerading as legitimate opportunities to earn money.2. Bulk emailBulk email solicitations offer to sell you lists of email addresses, by the millions, to which you can send your own bulk solicitations. Some offer software that automates the sending of email messages to thousands or millions of recipients. Others offer the service of sending bulk email solicitations on your behalf. Some of these offers say, or imply, that you can make a lot of money using this marketing method.The problem: Sending bulk email violates the terms of service of most Internet service providers. If you use one of the automated email programs, your ISP may shut you down. In addition, inserting a false return address into your solicitations, as some of the automated programs allow you to do, may land you in legal hot water with the owner of the address's domain name. There are also very strict rules, known as the CAN-SPAM Act, regulating bulk email marketing.3. Chain lettersYou're asked to send a small amount of money ($5 to $20) to each of four or five names on a list, replace one of the names on the list with your own, and then forward the revised message via bulk email. The letter may claim that the scheme is legal, that it's been reviewed or approved by the government; or it may refer to sections of U.S. law that legitimize the scheme.The scam: Chain letters are almost always illegal and nearly all of the people who participate lose their money. The fact that a "product" such as a report on how to make money fast may be changing hands in the transaction does not change the legality of these schemes.4. Work-at-home schemesEnvelope-stuffing solicitations promise steady income for minimal labor-for example, you'll earn $2 each time you fold a brochure and seal it in an envelope. Craft assembly work schemes often require an investment of hundreds of dollars in equipment or supplies, and many hours of your time producing goods for a company that has promised to buy them.The scam: You'll pay a small fee to get started in the envelope-stuffing business. Then, you'll learn that the email sender never had real employment to offer. Instead, you'll get instructions on how to send the same envelope-stuffing ad on your own. If you earn any money, it will be from others who fall for the scheme you're perpetuating.5. Health and diet scamsPills that let you lose weight without exercising or changing your diet, herbal formulas that liquefy your fat cells so that they are absorbed by your body, and cures for impotence and hair loss are among the scams flooding email boxes.The scam: These gimmicks don't work. The fact is that successful weight loss requires a reduction in calories and an increase in physical activity. Beware of case histories from "cured" consumers claiming amazing results and testimonials from "famous" medical experts you've never heard of.6. Effortless incomeThe trendiest get-rich-quick schemes offer unlimited profits exchanging money on world currency markets; newsletters describing a variety of easy-money opportunities; the perfect sales letter; and the secret to making $4,000 in one day.The scam: If these systems worked, wouldn't everyone be using them? The thought of easy money may be appealing, but success generally requires hard work.7. Free goodsSome email messages offer valuable goods-for example, computers, other electronic items, and long-distance phone cards-for free. You're asked to pay a fee to join a club, then told that to earn the offered goods, you have to bring in a certain number of participants. You're paying for the right to earn income by recruiting other participants, but your payoff is in goods, not money.The scam: Most of these messages are covering up pyramid schemes, operations that inevitably collapse. The payoff goes to the promoters and little or none to you.8. Investment opportunitiesInvestment schemes promise outrageously high rates of return with no risk. Many are Ponzi schemes, in which early investors are paid off with money contributed by later investors. This makes the early investors believe that the system actually works, and encourages them to invest even more.The scam: Ponzi schemes eventually collapse because there isn't enough money coming in to continue simulating earnings. Other schemes are a good investment for the promoters, but no for participants.9. Cable descrambler kitsFor a small sum of money, you can buy a kit to assemble a cable descrambler that supposedly allows you to receive cable television transmissions without paying any subscription fee.The scam: The device that you build probably won't work. Most of the cable TV systems in the U.S. use technology that these devices can't crack. What's more, even if it worked, stealing service from a cable television company is illegal.10. Guaranteed loans or credit, on easy termsSome email messages offer home-equity loans that don't require equity in your home. Usually, these are said to be offered by offshore banks. Sometimes they are combined with pyramid schemes, which offer you an opportunity to make money by attracting new participants to the scheme.The scams: The home equity loans turn out to be useless lists of lenders who will turn you down. The promised credit cards never come through, and the pyramid schemes always collapse.11. Credit repairCredit repair scams offer to erase accurate negative information from your credit file so you can qualify for a credit card, auto loan, home mortgage, or a job.The scam: The scam artists who promote these services can't deliver. Only time, a deliberate effort, and a personal debt repayment plan will improve your credit. The companies that advertise credit repair services appeal to consumers with poor credit histories. Not only can't they provide you with a clean credit record, but they also may be encouraging you to violate federal law. If you follow their advice by lying on a loan or credit application, misrepresenting your Social Security number, or getting an Employer Identification Number under false pretenses, you will be committing fraud.12. Vacation prize promotionsElectronic certificates congratulating you on "winning" a fabulous vacation for a very attractive price are among the scams arriving in your email. Some say you have been "specially selected" for this opportunity.The scam: Most unsolicited commercial email goes to thousands or millions of recipients at a time. Often, the cruise ship you're booked on may look more like a tug boat. The hotel accommodations likely are shabby, and you may be required to pay more for an upgrade. Scheduling the vacation at the time you want it also may require an additional fee.In ClosingDon't check your common sense at the door simply because you are surfing the web. If it seems to good to be true, it is. Don't fall victim to these scams.Richard Chapo is the lead attorney for the law firm http://www.SanDiegoBusinessLawFirm.com - a firm providing legal advice to California businesses. This article is for general education purposes and does not address every facet of the subject matter. Nothing in this article creates an attorney-client relationship.
Keyword : ftc, dirty dozen, email scams, ponzi, credit repair, diet, common sense

Admission and Verification of Identity in Electronic Records

2008-03-08T21:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Adil Waseem
Verification of identity is also a problem for consumers, who want to be assured that the persons with whom they do business are who they claim to be. As a result, companies engaged in electronic commerce are developing "digital certificates" or "digital IDs" that can be used to verify a person's identity over the Internet. "Digital certificates" are issued by a trusted intermediary who verifies the identity of a person and performs appropriate background checks, depending on the level of assurance to be granted. The simplest level verifies that an e-mail message was sent from an indicated address. The next level verifies the digital ID holder through online identity verification against a consumer database. The highest level requires that the holder personally appear before a notary public to have a digital ID application notarized. Once a person's identity has been verified, the certificate is created using public key encryption techniques, which makes it independently verifiable by the recipient and Immune from tampering it.Under clause (a), (b) (c) (d) subsection 2 of section 114 of Income tax Ordinance 2001 has make it obligatory on every person and company regarding providing evidence of the records, "…A return of income (a) shall be in the prescribed form; (b) shall state the information required by the form, including a declaration of the records kept by the taxpayer; (c) in the case of a person carrying on a business, shall include an income statement, balance sheet, and any other document as may be prescribed for the tax year; and (d) shall be signed by the person or the person's representative."The validation of the details of any business transaction requires an ability to follow a similar audit trail as that which exists for conventional commerce. The following elements must therefore be present- access to the basic records related to a transaction must be available; and the integrity of those records must be authenticated. Taxpayers are required to keep accurate books and records, which are subject to examination by the income tax authorities in order to verify the income and expenses reported on the taxpayer's return. "…Although many taxpayers rely on computerized record keeping systems to a large extent, many transactions still originate as paper records which can be used to verify the accuracy of the electronic records. However, for taxpayers engaged in the sale of electronic goods or services, no paper records are likely to be created because customer orders are placed and fulfilled electronically and therefore the only record that exists of these transactions could be an electronic one. As all users of computers know, this creates the possibility for tax evasion and fraud because computerized records can be altered without a trace."The "digital notarization" systems have been developed which are intended to make it possible to verify that electronic documents and records have not been altered. Public key encryption also permits a taxpayer to encrypt his financial records to prevent their examination on audit. It would seem that this should be treated no differently from failing to keep or destroying paper records. Even taxpayers engaged in the sale of physical, as opposed to electronic, goods may soon receive orders and issue invoices electronically. Electronic "documents" must be verifiable in order to minimize the potential for tax evasion.The writer is an advocate of High Court and practicing immigration and corporate laws in Pakistan since September 2001. Author can be contacted by Adil Law Company (Advocates and Immigration lawyers) Office No.3 2nd Flr Hafeez Chambers 85 The Mall Rd Lahore Pakistan Telephone: +9242-6306195 +9242- 6360108 Fax: + 9242 6360108 Cell: +92300 4254910 E-mail: adil.waseem@lawyer.com
Keyword : electronic identity verification,internet security,digital identity verification,digital certificate

Winning Tactics For Choosing A No Win No Fee Solicitor

2008-03-08T20:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Mohammad Latif
Every year, millions of people are injured or have accidents. Its human nature! One human injuring another by various means due to negligence! Within cars, on the streets, in the shopping mall, possibly anywhere and everywhere! And the first thing they do is look for a no win no fee solicitor.Fortunately there is a huge number to choose from, but choosing the right one the first time round is a problem or should I say becomes a problem.Fair enough, a solicitor has to do the job otherwise he doesn't get paid and so don't you.So how many solicitor firms do you think there are?Hundreds if not thousands...Okay now let me rephrase the question, how many 'quality' solicitors are there?... ... ??Exactly, now that's where the problem lies, finding good, quality solicitors.Search anywhere on the internet, Google, Yahoo, MSN? You will find thousands of pages listed with solicitor firms, but which one are you going to choose. Even take a look at claim management companies that handle compensation claims for solicitors. The number is exponential every year.How many chances do you think you'll get to 'correctly' pursue with a personal injury claim?Not 2, or maybe 3! One and ONLY one chance! You have one chance to get this right. If it's right 'perfect', otherwise you're going to be in a worse position than you originally started off with.Look for what the no win no fee solicitor can do for you. Is he doing it for your best interest or is he just making money for his firm? Sounds stupid, but these are simple questions that will help you with your claim for compensation.• Is it a reputable firm?• What's their service like?• What are their business/service ethics?• Do they have a code of practice in place?• What's their success rate?A quality no win no fee solicitor should –• provide you a professional, expert and approved service• provide a 0ne-on-one personalised service• provide you with a hassle free, peace of mind service• pay you money which are entitled to, by law• give you powerful advice on what steps to take• provide you everything in black & white, without misleading• not rest until you gain maximum compensation• keep you informed of actions taken, responding directly with youMake no mistake about choosing a no win no fee solicitor. Ask as many questions as you like and when you give them a personal injury case, they work for you not the other way round. Now get out there and start...It's easy to claim compensation and gain maximum results without the fear, costs, confusion and risks. Learn the 12 revolutions of the new 100% Compensation no win no fee culture at http://www.100percent-compensation.co.uk
Keyword : no win no fee solicitor, no win no fee, personal injury claim, personal injury, injury, claim, compe

Why Opt for an Experienced Mesothelioma Attorney?

2008-03-08T20:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Craig Rowe
There are many attorneys around today, some of who specialize in particular areas of law and others that deal with a wide range of legal issues. When it comes to a sensitive and often complicated area such as mesothelioma litigation, it is always advisable to go through a specialist mesothelioma attorney with experience and contacts within this field. Having an experienced mesothelioma attorney deal with your mesothelioma case can help to speed the process, and can ultimately make the difference between a successful or a failed mesothelioma compensation claim.Trained and experienced mesothelioma attorneys will have established links and contacts with other groups and organizations within this field, which means that you will be able to get additional advice and even support as well as getting sound legal advice. A more experienced mesothelioma attorney will already have dealt with cases similar to yours, and will therefore know the pitfalls and loopholes to look out for, which could help to speed up your case and could maximizes your chances of a successful claim.When you choose an experienced mesothelioma attorney, you will be able to determine the success rate of that particular law firm or specialist by asking about similar cases and their outcomes. Because a more experienced attorney will already have dealt with a large number of such cases, he or she will be able to demonstrate their success rate within the field of mesothelioma litigation.A mesothelioma attorney will be highly trained in this particular area, and will be completely familiar with the information and facts required in order to put together a successful lawsuit on behalf of a mesothelioma sufferer or a family member that is filing on behalf of a sufferer. An experienced lawyer will be able to ask the right questions, and will be able to initiate early action on your mesothelioma lawsuit through the use of links and contacts that he or she has already formed. Also, since a specialist mesothelioma attorney will have experience in dealing with asbestos litigation, he or she is more likely to be able to advise you with regard to the timeframe involved as well as the likely success of your lawsuit based upon your circumstances.Because most mesothelioma attorneys work on a contingency fee basis, you will not have to worry about paying costly legal bills upfront. When working on a contingency fee structure, you will only pay legal fees if and when you receive compensation, which means that you can enjoy the benefits of expert legal assistance and advice without having to pay any money upfront.Using a trained, experienced mesothelioma attorney to deal with your lawsuit could save you a great deal of time and worry over your claim, and you could increase your chances of getting the compensation you deserve for your asbestos related injury. With a number of specialist mesothelioma attorneys to choose from, you should have no problem finding expert legal assistance from a professional with a high level of experience within the area of mesothelioma litigation.MesotheliomaFirms.com offers listings of experienced mesothelioma law firms and attorneys specializing in asbestos injury, as well as mesothelioma information and articles.
To find a mesothelioma law firm or asbestos attorney, visit http://www.MesotheliomaFirms.com.
Keyword : mesothelioma, asbestos, lawyers, legal, attorneys

Minority Shareholders - Fighting The Man

2008-03-08T19:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Richard Chapo
Investing in a corporate entity is fairly standard practice in our society. Problems arise when you own a small percentage of shares, but disagree with the direction the majority shareholders are taking the entity. As a minority shareholder, do you have any way to fight "the man", to wit, the majority shareholders?Minority ShareholdersA couple of your friends come up with a great business idea, but need start-up capital. You agree to provide $10,000 for 30 percent of the shares. A corporation is formed, but the friends take the business in a direction you don't like. What can you do?The first step for a minority shareholder is to look at the bylaws of the corporation. If careful planning was taken when forming an entity, there should be clauses that detail your rights to object. If the corporation was formed through one of those $99 online sites, well…I wouldn't hold out much hope. Heck, the entity may not even have bylaws!If no relief can be found in the bylaws, a minority shareholder may be saved from themselves by their state. In every state, you will find legal codes laying out the rights of a "dissenting" shareholder. The laws are typically found in the "corporate" or "civil" codes, depending upon the state. Simply go to your local law library and ask a librarian for help.Each state's dissenter laws are going to be slightly different. Despite these differences, you should be able to find provisions that give a minority shareholder the right to throw a fit…err, seek justice. Generally, the dissenter rights are going to include some mechanism whereby you can force the corporation to buy back your shares.While a "buy back" may sound great, it almost always lead to litigation between the majority and minority shareholders. The litigation typically focuses on a nasty argument over the value of the shares.You, of course, are of the opinion the shares have increased in value. Your former friend have an opposite view. Since it is unlikely the stock is traded publicly, a valuation brawl ensues whereby appraisers are brought in, attorneys argue and judges roll their eyes in exasperation. In the end, you are awarded $15,000, pay your attorney $20,000 and lose two friends.In ClosingIf you are a minority shareholder, make sure there is some provision in the bylaws to protect you. If you don't, you could be in for a very rough ride.Richard Chapo is with http://www.sandiegobusinesslawfirm.com - providing legal services to San Diego businesses.
Keyword : minority shareholder, minority shareholders, investing in corporation, bylaws, dissenter rights

Media Stunts For An Injury Claim

2008-03-08T19:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Mohammad Latif
The claims culture arrived in the UK and it was chaos. Door canvassers and telesales, knocking and ringing constantly for an injury claim.Have you had an accident injury in the last 3 years? It went ballistic, new companies evolving and new tricks came into place that would work against the victim.Did you ever understand what was said before you signed the agreement? I guess not. 'Don't worry it doesn't mean anything, the company will contact you and sort it out'. Did they ever?Today there is so much jargon, i.e. crap out there that many people just ignore an injury compensation claim even if they need to claim compensation.Helping HandIn the beginning it was always a helping hand with your accident claim, until it was settled, with insurance and loan deductions. Policies were taken out in thousands that always back fired. And guess who provide the financial funded policies? The BANK! It could have even been your own bank.It didn't help the victims as it was deducted from their compensation settlement, but surely helped the companies, who have now declared bankruptcy with millions 'scoped' from their victims. But today you have smaller companies doing a similar trick, we'll do this and we'll do that with their new format of technical small print.Compensation Claim Culture ConfusionYou'll get confused just like food, these many calories, this much protein or fat. There is so much advertisement going around that you just think forget it, stick to what we normally do. Don't take any action!Compensation is an entitlement by law, for release of funds to the injured for being involved in an accident or being injured to some form. Accidents do occur, that's life as nobodies perfect. But with the media filling our heads with different slogans, headlines and examples, we get more confused even when it all should mean the same thing.PublicityOn TV, there's new advertisers showing victims of an accident injury and how they have had an accident. But what they don't realise is, each accident is unique, so why portray victims as happy as they could ever be with their payouts. It's a marketing stunt. But unfortunately many do fall for it.An accident solicitor in personal injury claims should only handle your case, not a solicitor in conveyancing. So you need a solicitor with experience in the appropriate field to handle an accident claim for it to be successful.Browsing from one site to another is not going to help as their technical jargon can to some extent be diluted. We'll do this and we'll do that. Find something simple that will help.It's easy to claim injury compensation, if you know how. Learn the 12 revolutions of the new injury claim culture at http://www.Compensation.co.uk/injury-claim.html and get a free assessment.
Keyword : injury claim, injury compensation claim, accident injury, claim compensation, compensation claim, ac

Business Entity Mistakes - Criminal Conduct and Independence

2008-03-08T18:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Richard Chapo
In this age of information, most small business owners understand they need the protection provided by a corporation or limited liability company. Such protection, however, can be lost though certain actions.Criminal ActionCreating a business entity only protects a business and shareholders from civil liability. Civil liability arises from a body of state and federal law that allows for compensation for alleged wrongs. These wrongs can arise in the form of negligence, contractual breach and so on. If an entity is found civilly liable, it must pay compensation, but no jail time is involved.Neither a corporation, limited liability company nor any other entity will protect anyone from criminal liability. Claims to the contrary published on various web sites are simply wrong. A person forming a corporation to front for a ponzi scheme or scam to defraud consumers is going to receive no protection from criminal prosecution. If you have any doubts on this issue, simply consider the recent criminal convictions of the Tyco and Enron executives.Standing ApartBoth corporations and limited liability companies are considered to "stand apart" from their investors for legal purposes. In essence, both entities are considered to be "persons" under the law. This legal fiction is, of course, what gives rise to the asset protection element of both entities. Unfortunately, many small businesses don't understand this distinction and lose the asset protection when the most need it.To maintain the asset protection benefits of a business entity, you must treat it as an independent party. For instance, you do not "own" a corporation. Such statements can come back to haunt you when a plaintiff's attorney presents them in court while arguing the entity is a sham. To avoid this problem, you can simply say you are the President of the business entity or whatever position you hold.In ClosingForming a business entity is a necessary step for most small businesses. Once the entity is formed, make sure you follow the necessary formal procedures to maintain asset protection.Richard A. Chapo is a San Diego business lawyer with http://www.sandiegobusinesslawfirm.com - providing legal services and legal advice to businesses in San Diego, California.
Keyword : business entities, corporation, c corporation, s corporation, llc, limited liability company,

Disobeying Court Orders

2008-03-08T18:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Jeffrey Broobin
Divorce attorneys and their clients often use the same tall tales to ignoring court orders. One excuse is the other party also did it or the court's order was based on inaccurate information. These excuses rarely work.One of the most common excuses is He or she started it! It works as well as any silly nonsense does, it does not work at all. To say someone else is disobeying the law does not help you in your excuse for disobeying the court. We are all responsible for our own actions.If you state the court order was wrong or unfair because of some mistake or a lie, is also worthless. If the court made a mistake there are avenues to address it, and the court can be asked to reconsider it. Only a court has the ability to change the court order. Until the court changes the order you are bound by the current order and it will be strictly observed. If the court order is violated as bad as things seemed to be will only get worse.A man was back in court because his wife said he had not paid is child support that he was ordered to pay. His attorney as well as himself stated he had not paid the child support because his ex wife had lied about her expenses and he felt he had a right to hold back payments because she had lied. He had not asked the court to review the case but made his own decision not based on the law but his anger that was unsupported by the court. By the time he came before the judge he was deeply in debt with back support.As it turned out the man was wrong about the expenses but even if he was right he was wrong, and as a result he violated the court order and caused more hardship for himself.He was forced to pay back support plus interest and to make things worse he had to pay his entire wife's legal expenses, which included airfare to come to court and an extra 3,000.There are only two legal excuses for not obeying a court order: Either the party didn't know about it or it was not possible to obey. Not inconvenient, impossible, or difficult!If you have any other reasons for disobeying the court, it will be a costly unpleasant mistake.Jeffrey Broobin is a free-lance writer on family and finance issues; his main goal is to help people during their complicated period of life.
Website: http://www.legalhelpmate.com Email: jeffreyb@legalhelpmate.com
Keyword : article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email

Immigration Maze: Sorting Through Information on the Internet

2008-03-08T17:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Dakota Caudilla
The Internet is an absolute goldmine of information, but knowing where to start and how to judge the accuracy of the information you access is a skill that can be learnt in no time.A golden rule of Internet research is to always begin at the beginning and that usually means tracking down the most official site related to the information you need. In the case of immigration, the most official site is a government one. Government information on immigration is the first stop and only then should you start searching for other sites on immigration set up, for example, by community information centers or by people who have been through immigration before you and can now pass on their valuable advice.Starting with the US Government's FirstGov.gov website you can search for all sorts of information related to your immigration inquiries.Following that, Uscis.gov is the US Citizenship and Immigration services website and has a comprehensive list of all accredited community-based organizations that can provide assistance to would-be immigrants. You can also learn everything you need to know about citizenship preparation services, you can browse and download citizenship materials and tests.The Bcis.gov website belongs to the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services. You can download immigration and naturalization forms and be informed about the process of immigration and citizenship.Also, the American immigration center's US-immigraiton.com website is packed with various Do-It-Yourself kits, which you can download. These DIY kits can help you prepare for you immigration exam and your immigration interview. The website offers practical advice on what you should do to get ready for your immigration application.And finally, there's the Immigration Portal at www.ilw.com, which has newsletters and access to immigration information and lawyers.Dakota Caudilla, journalist, and website builder Dakota Caudilla lives in Texas. He is the owner and co-editor of http://www.your-new-country.com on which you will find a longer, more detailed version of this article.
Keyword : Immigration, immigration canada, immigration attorney, us immigration, immigration lawyer, immigrati

How Not To Get Out Of A Speeding Ticket

2008-03-08T17:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Damon Dallah
The best advice for beating a speeding ticket would be to show you how NOT to get out of a speeding ticket. This article is all about the wrong way to go about handling your court case.Once you've read all these worthless defenses, visit my site at the end of this page for proven traffic court defense strategies to easily have your speeding ticket dismissed!Beg, Plead, Whine and Ask For ForgivenessThere is actually a book out there that condones this defense strategy. C'mon - is this really a valid defense? You aren't a little kid that has been caught with your hands in the cookie jar.This is real life and if you think that begging and pleading with the judge is going to get you out of a speeding ticket, you got another thing coming.Don't downgrade your dignity by whining in court. It won't work. Your only sure fire way to beat this ticket is to be armed with proven courtroom tactics and strategies based on actual law. Nothing else you do will work.Blame Your SpeedometerOh, the infamous "My speedometer wasn't working Your Honor". If there's one defense the judge gets sick of hearing, it's this one.The fact that your speedometer wasn't working (which the judge will believe to be a lie) isn't a valid defense. And if it really wasn't working, you should have gotten fixed!At least that's what the judge will say.Try To Accuse the Officer of Signaling You OutJust go to court and point out to the judge that the officer purposely gave you a ticket when you didn't deserve one.Maybe he didn't like you because you are of Middle Eastern decent? Maybe you were a black man driving in a predominately white neighborhood?Whatever the circumstances may be, don't accuse the officer of racial discrimination or profiling. It rarely works.Racial discrimination is an all too common defense and you are going to need some proof to back up what you are saying.* Has the officer been accused in the past of racial profiling?* Has the officer been reprimanded in the past for racial profiling?* Has the officer admitted in the past that he is a racist?* Have you filed a complaint against the officer in the past for racial discrimination?Accusing the officer of something without anything concrete to back it up is a no-win situation.Keeping With the Flow of TrafficDon't try to argue that there were other people speeding and you were simply keeping up with the flow of traffic. The fact still remains that you were speeding and using this defense hurts your case rather than help it.By arguing this defense, you have actually admitted to the fact that you were speeding. First you claimed that other motorists were speeding. Next, you admitted that you wee keeping up with the flow of traffic.In essence, you just admitted to speeding.Now, no matter what you say, you are a traffic violator under your own admission. The judge will have no choice but to find you GUILTY!Never try to get out of a speeding ticket using this excuse.Argue That Your Actions Did Not Cause Harm to AnyoneMaybe not coming to a complete stop at the stop sign in a very quiet neighborhood at 3:00 AM did not hurt anyone, but it still doesn't deny the fact that you broke the law.Whether anyone was hurt or not is beside the point. The point is that you broke the law - no ifs, ands, or buts about it.Argue That You Were Not Aware of the Law at the TimeSo, you say that you didn't know the speed limit had changed from 35 mph to 25 mph on the same street? Do you know what the judge is going to say?"Ignorance of the law is no excuse"!"GUILTY"!Playing dumb will not help you get out of a speeding ticket.Attack the Officer's Training of the Radar GunThink maybe the officer hasn't had adequate training with the radar gun? Can you prove it? If not, you are fighting another losing battle.The courts and the judge will accept the officer's testimony that he has had proper training. Nothing you say will change their minds.Other books will tell you to ask the officer to prove that he has had proper training with the radar unit by submitting all the proper documents and certifications. However, they conveniently fail to mention the fact that in court he DOESN'T have to show you anything!It is assumed by the courts that as an officer of the law, he has had proper training and no further proof is required of him. So much for this defense strategy.Only go this route if you yourself have proof of your own allegation. Needless to say, this proof is almost impossible to get.Explain That the Officer Pulled Over the Wrong PersonMistakes can and do happen. Officers have been known to lock on to a certain vehicle and momentarily lose sight of it and end up pulling over a similar looking vehicle by mistake. It happens.It is also very hard to prove.You know the officer might have made a mistake, but how do you go to court with this defense strategy? Accusations can only get you so far. When the judge asks for proof, then what?Again, it's your word versus the officer's. Who is the judge going to believe?Accuse the Officer of Mishandling the Radar GunMaybe the officer made a mistake when he was operating the radar gun. It's possible that he brought the radar gun up too fast and instead of your vehicle, he clocked the motion of his air conditioner fan instead. This actually happens more times than you think.But once more, this defense will get you no where for the simple fact that you were not in the officer's car at the time and were not an eye witness to him mishandling the radar gun.It's your word against his -- again!If you've noticed, most of these defenses involve blatant accusations. You are merely accusing the officer of not doing his job, whether purposely or negligibly.Not only is this an insult to the police officer, but it is also an insult to the courts. Now the judge starts getting mad! The last person you want to agitate in that courtroom is the judge.You had better back up what you say with hard physical evidence. If it's your word against the officer's -- you know the rest.Never accuse the officer of anything in that courtroom. Accusations only make you sound more desperate.If you want to get out of a speeding ticket there is a far easier, more productive way to do it, without pissing anybody off with deliberate allegations.Proof is everything in any courtroom in America. You can't convict somebody of murder just by pointing the finger at him. You need a dead body, murder weapon, and a motive. Otherwise, that person gets off free and clear.The same goes for you. If you say the officer made a mistake, can you prove it? If not, then there is absolutely no way that your accusation will hold up in court.If you truly would like to know the secrets to get out of a speeding ticket, then visit my web site at www.TrafficTicketSecrets.comDamon Dallah is an expert in traffic ticket defense with an emphasis on speeding tickets. He's helped hundreds of individuals with no legal experience beat their tickets in court. He is the owner of a very popular web site that you can visit by clicking here: Traffic Ticket Secrets
Keyword : speeding ticket,traffic ticket,traffic ticket law,traffic court,courtroom defense,speeding defense

Internet Lawyers Websites Made More Productive

2008-03-08T16:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Bob Schwartz
Does your firm's website have a form link for potential legal clients to send inquires through to your law firm? If so, you may be wasting your's, or your assistant's, time!I'll preface this by saying that many of the Internet legal client prospects you deal with in your career will likely be good, honest people. However, it seems the inquires generated through many legal web sites cause even the best, most honest, potential clients, to either intentionally, or unintentionally, waste your time.As a professional in this industry, your time is the one thing you can't afford to waste. If you run out of money, you can always make more. If you run out of time, all the money in the world won't help you.So there is a good argument to be made for the notion that time is much more valuable than money.The impersonal nature of the Internet and 'instant response' culture promoted by it, can be detrimental to efficient lawyer time management.If you have a popular legal web site, you will notice that a large percentage of the inquires requesting legal advice or opinion, can never be contacted by phone, or reply back to your emails after you have sent them their requested information.Actually, with popular legal sites these time wasters can be a very serious problem. You'll notice I said 'can be' in the preceding sentence. If you follow my suggestions below, the occurrence of this happening through your site will be drastically reduced or eliminated entirely.Averaging over 100 unique visitors per day to my Houston legal directory http://www.houston-texas-lawyers-attorneys-directory.com alone, I know my suggestions really can benefit those of you who implement them. These are not theoretical ideas, but field tested and proven techniques.#1. Show the current average hourly fees or case legal cost vs. settlement obtained for your clients.This one step dramatically reduces the 'dreamer/spendthrift' type of email. It also enhances your credibility to win major settlements.#2. All inquiry forms on your site should be set up so that if vital information is omitted, the form will remind the visitor when they try to submit it that the fields need to filled in for the form to work.What information you want is up to you. Many times, personally, I do not require the phone number. This is because I feel that many may fear unwanted 'sales' calls. Plus, after all they are contacting me via the Internet vs. my toll-free phone number!I do require the following basic information:A. Full name
B. Address
C. Email address
D. Nature of caseDepending on the form, other information will be required. Keep in mind, these people know about you and are requesting your time. If they will NOT provide you their basic personal information, how serious can they really be?Perhaps key to saving your valuable time, is my last suggestion:
Immediately upon receipt of an inquiry from your site, you or your assistant should reply with a request for some small bit of additional information. If you do not receive a timely reply to your inquiry, why invest any more time on this inquiry?What should you ask for depends on the type of inquire. I ask for such information as:When the situation occurred, full extent of damages/injury, and/or have they consulted any other lawyers?Proper time management is crucial to any successful business. Management of your Internet inquires will increase your productivity!"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with It." -M Scott PeckCopyright 2005 Promotions Unlimited - All rights reservedBob Schwartz is owner of websitetrafficbuilders.com, an Internet search engine optimization firm specializing in domain name registration & Internet domain website hosting. Bob received his BBA majoring in computer programming. Bob is an expert witness for major San Diego law firms, and directs a multi-state high traffic network of 15 legal directory sites.A few of Bob's top legal directory sites are: Houston lawyers, Dallas lawyers, Los Angeles lawyersBob has two free link exchange programs. One is for legal related sites and the other is for real estate sites. You can also apply for very cool, and free, website awards that add credibility to your site. Email Bob if you are interested in any of these programs.
Keyword : lawyers,attorneys,law firm,law site,law website,legal site,legal website,lawyers site,Internet, web

Finding the Right Attorney

2008-03-08T16:00:00.001-08:00

Author : James Monahan
Legal matters can be downright confusing especially to lay men who have not even heard, much less understand most of those deep legal mumbo jumbo that attorneys use inside the court. People facing legal dilemmas of business or personal nature need attorneys to help them make better decisions on the subject.With attorneys present, all pertinent details regarding the legal matter can be explained to them including sensitive issues like monetary liabilities, conviction and of course the client's rights.It is, however, a reality that some attorneys switch sides especially during sensitive money issues especially if they are being offered additional compensation for their trouble. It is for this reason that you should be careful in choosing the attorney who will be representing you.Here are some tips in finding the right attorney to represent your interest.Ask for referralsSearching on your own for a reliable attorney can be harrowing especially when you are not really much into legal matters. Short of searching for names in the periodicals, you can ask your relatives, friends and even colleagues for referrals. For sure, they have one or two names that they can think of or better, attorneys that they worked with before. This will ensure that you will be getting an attorney that somebody you know has already worked with and can therefore give a valid opinion about his credentials and capabilities.
Having worked with someone you know, at least you can be assured of their character and their commitment.From the names given to you, you can then choose for the attorney that you think will best represent your interest in the legal case you are fighting for. This is very important as you will have the chance to choose from some of the best attorneys that you have.Ask for referencesBefore hiring an attorney, you can ask for some references, people who will attest to their character. References may be clients who they have handled in the past or people who have had dealings with them. It is actually even better if clients are given as references, not only those who have won the cases but also those who lost. This way, you will be able to get an overall picture of the type of work that the attorney has.James Monahan is the owner and Senior Editor of attorney, legal assistance. People facing legal dilemmas of business or personal nature need attorneys to help them make better decisions on the subject.
Keyword : attorney, legal assistance, lawyer

It's the Law

2008-03-08T15:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Ed Howes
We are a nation of law, not men. This is the mantra of the people who make law, day after day, century after century. Can we ever tire of hearing we must behave a certain way because it's the law? Not only is it the law, ignorance of it is no excuse. Since no American home can contain it all in paper volumes, ignorance of the law is a natural fact of life, excuse or not. That which we have and can't possibly know is never enough because lawmaking and enforcement are lucrative growth industries to benefit a few at the expense of many.Government of the people, by the people, for the people can only exist on the local level and then only until a "superior" government of the people, by the rich, for the rich, supplants it. It is not ignorance of the law that enslaves us, it is our ignorance of its origins that does so. The rich exploiters of humanity write the laws we live by and have their professional servants transcribe them into the proper jargon. Jargon that makes them difficult or impossible to understand until after one has been charged with a violation that demands professional defense. How convenient for the ever expanding law profession. There appears to be a huge conflict of interest in allowing lawyers to write any laws. They and politicians are the lap dogs of the powerful. Legal guns.Statute law which is given much more weight than diivine law, traditional common law and natural law; is mostly created by people who profit by controlling the behaviors of their ignorant and busy servants. These rich and powerful people define and control the education of their subjects. An education to convince us all we are accidental beings living lives of accidental circumstance, of no particular value. No master is responsible for anything that happens in global events but servants are responsible for their own compliant behavior. When a servant rebels, the servant is processed through the masters' just us system and locked in a cage. We call this freedom and justice because our masters tell us it is freedom and justice, from the time we enter their youth indoctrination centers.Guaranteed a jury of your peers, the definition of peer is any ignorant person who will follow the instructions of some judge. One who knows nothing about the suppression of evidence and criminal behaviors occurring daily in the masters' courts. The few who discover this fraud become even more angry and rebellious so their punishment becomes a most useful example to others who might not be compliant enough to make life easy for the masters' administrators. We give the rebels a label to distinguish them from the compliant. We call them criminals. A criminal is any person who violates any rule. This makes life very simple for the masters and their servants. It makes life intolerable for the non compliant rebels who become full of anger and resentment to the point of violence againt their natural enemies, the compliant servants. The victims of violence rhetorically ask, why me? Then they demand the arrest, conviction and punishment of the rebel. The rebel is later released to injure more servants who will demand more punishment. It is such a clever money scheme that not one in a hundred ever sees it as it is.Terrorist is the name we give to rebels who see the servants of the rich as the enemies within their reach. Rebels attack and destroy them to create fear and reluctance among survivors. We call their victims innocent because they do not receieve show trials of "justice" for their crimes of serving the masters in rebel courts. Until the rebels decided they would rather die before they would be servants of the rich, the masters did not concern their selves. Now the masters have a serious problem because fear prevents servants from working and tithing the rich. However, when you rule the world, labor problems and economic slowdowns work out over time as people starve and kill each other. All is well that ends well. We can observe this process every day in Iraq.The difference between the servants and the rebels is that servants lock rebels in cages and rebels simply kill servants. Servants are caring. Rebels are barbaric. In truth the rebels are simply too poor to afford the cages and prisoner support servants can afford. Rebels can recruit servants to become rebels but servants cannot recruit rebels to become servants except on rare occassions. While millions of Americans are now locked in cages or were formerly locked in cages, most never wanted to serve the rich in any direct way. Those who have been released and have tried to go straight, a euphamism for serving the rich, have found it extremely difficult to do so. In any event, they have scores to settle with the servants and have much in common with those we call terrorists. As isolated as they are when in cages, they have to admire the rebellion of those called terrorists and that one person can cause destruction far beyond what we might expect of any one person. Our prisons are domestic recruitment pools for terror.Not far behind prisoners, will be Native, African and Hispanic Americans who have scores to settle with the rich and their obedient servants. The refusal of the masters to compensate these people for the life and property taken from them and their ancestors by the masters over hundreds of years, make natural rebels of them all. Add to them the members of the radical left and right and we have many miilions to carry on the work begun in Oklahoma City. As you wonder about your allegiance to the masters and look around for danger and warning, start thinking like a rebel, just in case. It is not the the goal of the rebels to destroy entire cities, yet. Rather, it is the goal to bankrupt the servants until they too rebel against the masters. Once you start thinking how much money you can cost the enemy, you can become far more creative than any member of Al Qaeda. Even if you have no intention of joining the rebellion, you will be safer and better able to survive the domestic war that began years before Oklahoma City.The plans to impose martial law in America will work as well as they would in Afghanistan and Iraq. The servants of the rich will become loyal to local warlords. Donald Rumsfeld's light, fast armies will be far too few to fight globally and domestically. When government returns to conscription to build up their forces, recruits will be slaughtered as they stand in the lines. Millions will leave the U.S. to survive, watch what is happening and form fifth columns to fight with the rebels and against the servants of money, wherever they find them. War again becomes simple to understand. The rich against the poor. The weapons favor the rich. The numbers and strategy favor the poor. Place your bets. Make your plans. The lawless are coming to power. The law won't save anyone. The old value system and its supporters have to go.Ed Howes sought and found. Knocked and entered. Now he sees things differently. To see more of what he sees, please visit http://www.justanotherview.com -- or do an author search right here at Ezine Articles.
Keyword : politicians, law, people, origins

Franchise Attorney; Very Well Known Dies

2008-03-08T15:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Lance Winslow
Recently a well-known Franchise Attorney Died. Now all the other franchise attorneys are falling all over themselves saying what a great guy he was? Yes, perhaps, but he was a lawyer. All lawyers steal from the productivity of the Nation and all franchise lawyers are a plague on the franchise model and industry. They say this lawyer was an intellectual. Indeed and maybe he was, but all lawyers live in a made up world of laws, which they and their law-making lawyer politician friends create; a little self-serving.So is an intellectual lawyer thinking on issues and laws, which are made up and how these might conflict really an intellectual? Oh, I suppose in a virtual world they could be. You know like a punk teenager who listens to rap or techno music, while pounding the Twinkies between taking crystal meth and/or smoking pot and is busy learning all the rules in a video game and learning the best way to rack up the most points or in this case with lawyers fees. Are lawyers really intellectuals or are they criminals like international terrorists screwing over entrepreneurs and free enterprise like virus-ridden parasites? Personally the more lawyers who die the better for the franchise industry, the method in which they die, is irrelevant, they have been stealing from this industry long enough.I have not heard one non-lawyer say anything nice about this well-known lawyer who died, nor do I expect to. There is no greater scum on the planet than lawyers, whether they be government lawyers, private practice lawyers or franchise lawyers. I hope they all burn in hell. This article is my opinion and therefore I am exercising my right to free speech for as long as that right lasts, as there are lawyers who want us to worship them and wish to take away even that right unless it happens to agree with their opinion.To the family of this dead franchise lawyer, he died for a noble and just cause, because now that he is dead he can no longer screw over franchisors or franchisees and that is best for the American People, as the best lawyer is one who is no longer breathing. In his death he has greatly helped the free enterprise system and for that I wish to thank his family for their sacrifice. There are others who would rather he burn in hell for eternity, but that would not be the polite or political correct thing to say during your grieving process. Hopefully once you get this behind you, someone will sue your family so his ill-gotten gains will live again.Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Keyword : franchise attorney, lawyer, dies, intellectuals, scum, government, private practice

Understanding Personal Injury Claims

2008-03-08T14:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Michael Russell
Unfortunately, personal injuries do occur. Yet, what seems more difficult to comprehend is the fact that some personal injury victims do not necessarily receive the relief they deserve. Thus, in understanding what personal injury claims are and how they work, personal injury victims increase the likelihood that they will receive the compensation that they deserve.The most common question asked by people is, "what exactly does the term 'personal injury' embrace?" That being the case it becomes necessary to define what personal injury actually is. Personal injury includes injuries that arise from car accidents, exposure to hazardous products or items like asbestos, exposure to medication that causes damage to the individual, medical malpractice, and acts including wrongful death. That being established, if you are a victim of personal-injury, you may wonder what you need to do next. Well, quite frankly, you should contact a personal injury attorney and the sooner the better. In fact, you can find a number of personal injury attorneys that are more than willing to speak to you and give you a free consultation. Flipping through your local phone directory or searching online for personal injury attorneys are good places to start. An attorney can help you sort things out. Remember, personal injury laws frequently vary from state to state.Therefore an attorney can help you determine whether or not you have a case and can then help you decide where to go from there. While you are looking for an attorney to represent you in your personal injury case, it is a good idea to get any and all documentation you have together and to write down everything you remember about the incident, as accurately as possible. If you have police reports, be sure to obtain a copy of them and if you have costs that you have incurred as a result of your injury, be sure to gather the receipts together as well. All of these items should be brought to the attorney's office during the initial consultation, in case the lawyer wants to take a look at what you have in terms of documentation.If you have experienced a personal injury, don't waste time - contact a lawyer as soon as you are able. Different states have created regulations about how much time after the injury occurs you have to make an official claim. Therefore, get hold of a lawyer as soon as possible - you wouldn't want to miss out on your chance to be compensated for your injury because you procrastinated too long.If you are concerned about what kind of payment you will ultimately receive from a personal injury claim, again an attorney can help you. The compensation that you may receive is, of course, based on the nature of the injury as well as a number of other factors. Only a skilled attorney can advise you in such areas and let you know whether or not someone has been negligent or if you are eligible for any form of compensation at all.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Personal Injury
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Keyword : personal injury

Scaffolding Accidents in the UK

2008-03-08T14:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Julian Hall
We all know how hazardous shoddy scaffolding can be. Insecure bracing, poor materials, unsafe construction, lack of attention to safety board regulations – all lead to scaffolding accidents all over the UK.An estimated 2.3 million construction workers, or 65 percent of the construction industry, work on scaffolds frequently. Protecting these workers from scaffold-related accidents may prevent some of the 4,500 injuries and 50 deaths every year, which cost employers £90 million in workdays lost. In a recent BLS study, 72 percent of workers injured in scaffold accidents attributed the accident either to the planking or support giving way, or to the employee slipping or being struck by a falling object.Base plates and mud sills are required on scaffolding. The surface where the mud sills are placed must be capable of keeping the scaffolding in place. Another essential component is the scaffold ties. After the first tie is attached properly, then subsequent ties should be attached safely. The height of these subsequent ties should not be more than twenty-six feet. You must also put ties at horizontal intervals, which doesn't exceed thirty feet, and all ties should be able to stand up to a push or pull of 2500 pounds of weight. Even with this additional ties may be necessary to ensure your safety on the scaffolding.*********************************************************************If you need advice or would just like to speak to someone, please don't hesitate to give Claims Master Group a call on 08000 71 22 71.The Personal Injury, Accident Claim, No Win No Fee, Scaffolding Accidents in the UK specialists.Julian Hall is the director of Claims Master GroupThe Personal Injury, Accident Claim, No Win No Fee, Road Traffic Accidents specialists.
Keyword : Personal Injury,Accident Claim,Personal injury,accident at work,road accident,road traffic accident,

Atlanta Accident Lawyers

2008-03-08T13:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Alison Cole
When choosing a lawyer to fight your accident case, keep in mind that it is absolutely essential for you to choose an extremely competent person for the job. You only get one chance to fight your compensation case. Imagine losing the case, not because you are in the wrong, but because the lawyer you chose did not have the necessary expertise to fight your case. The lawyer or the firm might have a proven track record in real estate or bankruptcy cases, but that experience probably will not win your accident compensation case. It is extremely important to check the credentials and reputation of the lawyer you choose.Another thing to keep in mind is the lawyer must be ready to take your case to the court. This is because most lawyers would prefer an out of court settlement and in this case, you will not get your fair due. You also must be sure that the lawyer you choose actually fights your case for you. In many caes, you meet a lawyer to discuss your case, but when the real work begins, the assistants or the paralegals take over. You don't want that.Don't get carried away with the flashy campaigns that some lawyers use for advertising. Before settling for a lawyer, try to find out their success rate and whether he or she is personally willing to fight your case for you. This is extremely important because ultimately, it is the insurance companies that are going to pay. If they know that your lawyer is not going to compromise, they wont use any sort of pressure tactics.Atlanta accident lawyers can be found through a referral service provided by Georgia State Bar Association, the county bar association and other professional law associations. Information is also available in the yellow pages or through search engines like Google and Yahoo on the Internet. You can check advertisements of law firms in magazines and newspapers. Friends and family members are also excellent sources of information.Atlanta Lawyers provides detailed information about Atlanta lawyers, Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers, Atlanta business lawyers, and more. Atlanta Lawyers is affiliated with Legal Malpractice.
Keyword : Atlanta lawyers, Atlanta bankruptcy lawyers, Atlanta business lawyers

Fraud - Auto Insurance Fraud

2008-03-08T13:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Michael Russell
In the United States auto insurance fraud is becoming one of the biggest fraud problems this country is faced with. In this article we're going to discuss some of the more common auto insurance fraud scams and what somebody can do to prevent them.Today one of the most popular insurance fraud scams involves auto insurance and auto accidents. More specifically, staged auto accidents. These have actually become quite complex to the point where they involve multiple participants. There are many variations of these. We'll cover the main ones here.First there is what is called the swoop and squat. This scam involves three vehicles. Two are driven by the criminals and the third is driven by the victim. The driver of the "squat" vehicle positions himself in front of the victim. The person driving the "swoop" vehicle pulls ahead of the squat vehicle and intentionally cuts the vehicle off. This causes the driver of the squat vehicle to slam on his brakes and stop short. Usually, the victim can't react quickly enough and rams into the squat vehicle. In the meantime, the swoop vehicle that caused the accident takes off and is never seen again. The victim tells police that the swoop vehicle caused the accident, but because that vehicle can't be located the victim ends up having to pay for the damage and any personal injury claims.Then there is what is known as the side swipe. This type of accident usually happens at busy intersections with dual left hand turn lanes. The criminal positions his vehicle in the outer left turn lane. When the victim's vehicle drifts into the outer turn lane the criminal side swipes him. To make sure the scheme works the criminal does preliminary surveillance to make sure that the intersection is busy enough where drifting will occur because of the amount of traffic.Another common auto accident scam is what is known as the Panic Stop. In this scheme the criminal drives a late model car filled with a lot of passengers. The criminal will then position himself in front of the victim and have one of the passengers look out the back window watching to see for any signs of distraction such as answering a cell phone call or changing a station on the radio. Any sign that the victim is taking his eyes off the road. Once this happens the passenger signals the driver who then slams on the brakes thus causing an accident. The victim will claim that the criminal stopped short for no apparent reason but usually to no avail. In the meantime the victim has to pay for all damages and injuries reported.Unfortunately there is only one way to avoid these type of accidents and that is to be observant at all times and keep a safe distance from any vehicle ahead of you. The sad truth is, if all motorists would just obey the speed and distance laws and rules, accidents like these would never happen. But people drive too fast and too close and thus these type of frauds will always be pulled off. Drive safe and smart and your chances of being the victim of auto insurance fraud will be greatly diminished.
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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Fraud
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Keyword : fraud,auto insurance fraud,car insurance fraud

California Alcohol Treatment

2008-03-08T12:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Ken Marlborough
Drunk driving is a menace in California. It claims several lives each year. Most of the DUI incidents occurred due to high alcohol addiction or drug usage. Punishing the accused under law is not the only solution. A complete drug and alcohol treatment should be needed to spread awareness about the impact of drinking and taking drugs. Most of the addicts go for outpatient treatment instead of rehabilitation program. It is evident through statistics that longer-term residential treatment is more effective than quick clinical treatment. With proper treatment people can be set free from the chemical addiction of drug and alcohol.In longer rehabilitation treatment people help people to get sober and clean. It has the greatest influence on the people under treatment. Hopeless and despondent mood of the patient changed into healthy, hopeful, and full of freedom character after the treatment. Two sides of addiction treatment are there namely, clinical components and therapy /social development opportunity. Combination of these two sides is seen in residential treatment program only. In this treatment learning and developing is the main key. Group sessions are important to groom up these people under the guidance of expert professional. In this way they come to know each other and share their experiences and thoughts. This improves the mental status of the patient and makes them more thoughtful.There are many organizations in California for drug rehabilitation and alcohol treatment. To make the treatment program more effective there should be extensive study of costs, benefits and effectiveness of alcohol and drug treatment. In this process California Drug and Alcohol Treatment Assessment plays a vital role. It specifically assesses the effects of treatment on patient behavior, the total costs of different treatment, and the economic value of different treatment to society. Alcohol treatment and drug rehab is an extended process that involves professionals in the addiction treatment field. You should check before going for any treatment program.California DUI Lawyers provides detailed information about California DUI lawyers, California alcohol treatment, California DUI arrests, California DUI defense and more. California DUI Lawyers is the sister site of Florida DUI Attorneys.
Keyword : California DUI lawyers, California alcohol treatment, California DUI arrests, California DUI defense

Louisiana Real Estate Lawyers

2008-03-08T12:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Eric Morris
Trading in real estate involves huge amounts of investments, sometimes your life savings. You may even have to raise loans at exorbitant rates of interest to buy the real estate, hoping that its appreciation will outbalance the investments. Yet there is always an element of risk involved, and instead of profits you may also end up with a loss. To put it simply, real estate investments involve great risks and should not be taken without thorough calculation based upon extensive expertise and research about the risks, and technical and legal aspects.This may occur more particularly when you happen to purchase real estate in Louisiana, where the laws are different from other states of the US. In the process of buying real estate, you may have to interact with a variety of persons like real estate brokers, agents, bankers, mortgage officers, inspectors or other authorities whose functions you may not fully understand, before buying the property. Then there are the intricacies of real estate law, which need to be understood in order to draft the documents correctly. Several contract papers have to be signed, and a slight mistake in understanding a clause may cost you heavily.The best course in such a situation would be to engage a Real Estate Lawyer who is conversant with laws in Louisiana. A little amount of money spent on legal fees can save a lot of loss and frustration. Real Estate Lawyers are easily available in every city and county. But you have to contact the right type of lawyer who specializes in your area of requirement. A generalist lawyer may not deliver the goods. A purchase agreement is a complicated document. Despite stringent laws, the possibility of fraud cannot always be ruled out. The property has to be accurately described. Then there are the technical terms and conditions of agreement which need to be understood. A slight error may land you in trouble, and so the best way out is to hire the services of a qualified Real Estate Lawyer.Louisiana Lawyers provides detailed information about Louisiana lawyers, Louisiana probate lawyers, Louisiana real estate lawyers, Louisiana divorce lawyers and more. Louisiana Lawyers is the sister site of New Jersey Business Lawyers.
Keyword : Louisiana lawyers, Louisiana probate lawyers, Louisiana real estate lawyers, Louisiana divorce lawye

Law Lemon Lawyer

2008-03-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

Author : Ray Walker
You've finally done it. You bought that car that you've been looking at and thinking about for months. It's all very exciting, right? Well, that's what we hope for anyway. But what happens if that car turns out to be a "lemon". I know, this is something no one wants to think about, but unfortunately, it happens. The good thing is that you're not without recourse. All fifty states have adopted some form of the lemon law that is written to protect people exactly like you. Since this law can vary from state to state, if you find yourself in this unfortunate position,the first thing you should do is contact a law lemon lawyer in your state.Finding a law lemon lawyer that is familiar with the particular way your state operates when it comes to the lemon law is critical in ultimately winning your claim. This lawyer can evaluate your case and give you an honest opinion as to whether or not you even have a claim in the first place.If you do, there are many steps that will need to be taken to prove it. The law lemon lawyer should be able to advise you on just what these steps are. Some of these steps will include documentation of all problems and repairs that will need to be kept detailed and complete. Invoices and receipts will need to be filed. Conversations with the dealership will need to be documented. In most states, your car needs to have been out of service for at least 30 days of the year before they will even consider it a lemon. If you have kept a record of all repairs and dates that your car has been in the shop, this will be much easier to prove than if you rely on the dealership.Since these steps can prove to be time consuming and the entire process can be pretty drawn out, enter into this process knowing that you will need to be diligent and accept that it will take time. Having a law lemon lawyer for this process can help to expedite that process, though, and that in and of itself can make it worth your while. In some states, if you win your case, the lawyer fees will be included in your settlement anyway. If you lose, however, you will be responsible for all attorneys' fees.By
Ray Walker
Lemon Law Information
Keyword : Lemon law, California lemon law, Used Car lemon law, Lemon Law Lawyer, Auto Lemon Laws

Why Injured Accident Victims Are Never Millionaires

2008-03-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Gerry Oginski
How many times have you read the headlines in the newspaper "Man wins $20 Million," "Woman awarded $35 Million Dollars after slipping on banana peel," "Jury verdict of $17 Million for brain damaged infant."Don't you feel envious, even for just a moment? Don't you feel jealous that someone, somewhere, is going to get all those millions of dollars?Well, that might be your first impulse, but looking at the facts you realize that you wouldn't want to trade places with that injured victim- ever.During closing arguments in a trial, an attorney will talk about how much money they feel their client is entitled to. A good analogy is to imagine someone taking out a classified ad in the newspaper with the following headline: "$10 Million Dollars- Free! Just show up tomorrow morning." Don't you think every single person in the world would show up?But wait! Before you can get your "Free $10 Million Dollars"
you first must be a victim of medical malpractice. You must suffer brain damage because the anesthesiologist put the airway tube into your stomach instead of your airway. How many people do you think would still line up outside the door seeking the "Free $10 Million Dollars?"There may be some crazy folks who don't care what they do for that kind of money. But hold on...what if there are more conditions before you can get that money?Before you can ever see one dime, you have to be permanently and forever disabled; confined to a wheelchair, have no bowel control, and require a full-time nurse to attend to your every need. You need help eating, feeding, going to the bathroom, waking up and going to sleep. You need physical therapy 5 days a week, and you can only communicate with your family with grunts and moans. How many people do you think would still take the money under those circumstances?I don't know anyone who would go to that length to get $10 Million Dollars- even if someone was giving it away 'Free'. The next time you read the news headlines where some injured victim won millions of dollars don't think what they'll ultimately receive after appeals are exhausted. I guarantee you, they'd rather have their health than any amount of money. That money isn't going to make them healthy and whole again. It'll only provide the best medical care they can buy to support them and their broken family.The next time you see an injured victim winning a large award, take a close look at the facts of the case, and the injuries that person suffered before wishing you were in their shoes. Doing so will make you a better person.Attorney Oginski has been in practice for over 17 years as a trial lawyer practicing exclusively in the State of New York. Having his own law firm, he is able to provide the utmost in personalized, individualized attention to each and every client. In our office, a client is not a file number. Client's are always treated with the respect they deserve and expect from a professional. Mr. Oginski is always aware of every aspect of a client's case from start to finish.Gerry represents injured people in injury cases and medical malpractice matters in Brooklyn, Queens, New York City, the Bronx, Staten Island, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. You can reach him at http://www.oginski-law.com, or 516-487-8207. All inquiries are free and totally confidential.
Keyword : medical malpractice, malpractice lawyer, injury lawyer, personal injury, medical malpractice lawyer

Don't Ask the Notary

2008-03-08T10:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Marc Seligman
There are many misconceptions about notaries public. Those faulty thoughts can lead to conflicts between you and a notary. If you follow these simple guidelines, you will not be disappointed.Don't ask the notary public for legal advice. We are not allowed to give legal advice. When you are signing documents related to a tax shelter, you might be tempted to get one last opinion. Don't ask for mine, because I will not give it to you. Speak to your lawyer, your accountant, your sister-in-law, but not the notary whose sole purpose is to notarize your signature on the documents.Don't ask the notary public for other advice either. You might want to ask my opinion about how your divorce agreement stands up to others I have seen, but I will not answer that query.Don't ask the notary public to use the notary seal on a paper that will be signed later. A notary can only notarize a document signed in his or her presence by a person who is either personally known to the notary or who has produced an acceptable form of photo identification. There are some exceptions for those who have no photo identification, but those are handled differently in each state. No state, however, allows a notary to affix the notary seal to a document in the absence of a person who will sign it later.Don't ask the notary public to perform a function that is not within his or her responsibility. In Florida, for instance, a notary cannot notarize a birth certificate.Above all, don't ask the notary public to bend the rules. Notaries exist to protect your rights. The rules that have been established, even though they might appear silly to you, are necessary.Feel free to ask questions during your time with the notary, but don't be offended if he or she refuses to give an answer to some of them. Your notary is not a lawyer or an advisor. I can give you advice as a friend, but once you ask me to act as a notary on your behalf I will no longer be able to offer my opinions.Copyright 2006 by Marc SeligmanDr. Marc Seligman is a notary public in Florida specializing in providing notary services to nudists and naturists living or vacationing in the Sunshine State.The website http://www.NudeNotary.com offers more information about the functions of notaries in Florida.
Keyword : notary, law, responsibility, question, practice, Florida, nudenotary, nude notary

Combating Piracy

2008-03-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Andrew Nielsen
The copyrights on info-products sold on the internet are often violated, resulting in a financial loss for the copyright owner. In this article we discuss how to limit the extent to which this can hurt your business.Most info-products sold of the internet have copyrights stating that the product is for use by the purchaser only and that it may not be modified, shared, sold or distributed in any way. Simply stating such copyrights does however not prevent purchasers from sharing their copy of the info-product with friends and family or from sharing it using file sharing services. Some copyright violators may even use all or part of the copyrighted material in their own publications.There are however ways to limit the amount of piracy that will take place.Clearly state the copyrights of your product
If you will not allow that your product is shared, distributed, sold or modified by those who purchase it from you, clearly state this in the document. State that all rights are reserved and that violators will be pursued to the full extent of the law.Urge reader to report piracy
You can also state in the product, that if it was not bought directly from your website or from you on an auction website, then the seller violated the copyrights. You can urge the reader to report where he or she purchased the product. This may deter potential copyright violators from selling or distributing your product.Format of your document
If you choose to sell your info product formatted as HTML or in a Word document, it is fairly easy for your customer to modify your product or copy and paste from it. A copyright violator may for example change the name of the author to be his own and start selling the product. To avoid this, the info product can be formatted as a PDF document. With PDF documents, the rights can be set, so it is not possible to modify the document or even to perform copy and paste from it.Personalize the product
In the document you sell to your customers, you may ad a personal greeting with the name, email address and even postal address if this is available to you. This way, if your customer sells the document to someone else, the name of your customer will appear in the copy sold. As the violator's name, email address etc can be seen by all his or her customers, this may deter him or her from selling or distributing the product.Flood file sharing services with fake copies
If your product is named 'My Product' you may place a number of documents called 'My Product', 'My Product Full Version', 'My Product Unprotected', 'My Product complete' etc on file sharing services. Such copies could contain part of your copyrighted document or something completely different as well as a message to visit your website to buy the real product. By flooding file sharing services with such documents, a real complete copy of your product may drown in the amount of fake copies available.Summary
Preventing piracy by the means described above can help reduce financial losses for your business. If you find out that the copyrights of your document has been violated you need to take actions against the violator. A simple warning threatening with lawsuits, reporting of the violation to hosting companies or auction websites can be effective and is sometimes all it takes.The copyrights act of 1976 forms the basis for the United States copyright law.You have permission to publish this article electronically or in print, free of charge, as long as the bylines are included. A courtesy copy of your publication would be appreciated.About the author:
Andrew Nielsen is the author of "The Online Business Builder". He is an internet entrepreneur and is currently helping small businesses and individuals making money online. Visit http://www.i-want-to-be-rich.com or mailto: an@i-want-to-be-rich.com
Keyword : copyright, small business, reduce loss, make money, piracy, online business

Democratic Kampuchea: An Irresponsible Government

2008-03-08T09:31:00.000-08:00

Author : Vicheka Lay
IntroductionMen are innately self-centred. Due to this characteristic, countless problems are flourished, and if there is no any official institution to govern men’s negative nature, the whole state would steps toward anarchy. Single-mindedly targets to offer possible benefits to its people, nearly all government in the world is divided between the three; executive, legislative, and judicial. Professor George Mckenna, in one of his excerpts called “Why Government,” claims that government has four basic compulsions to be executed (McKenna, 1998, 7).Democratic Kampuchea, on other hand, drew a completely outlook from what Professor George Mckenna has claimed above. All of the people who have survived the Pol Pot regime would refer to this government, as not to service the people, but to enslave its own people, and some would even depict the leaders as "worse than Hitler" and a "genocidal maniac" (Chandler, 1999, p.4). And many have explained the ghost of three; Pol Pot, Ieng Sary and Kieve Samphan, as insane philosophers. A confidential CPK document asserted that the “expulsion of the population from Phnom Penh is a measure one will not encounter in any other country’s revolution.” in a similar vein, Ieng Sary told a German correspondent in1976, “it is still too early to announce what we are doing in our country. Since our action is not based on models, we are learning in the course of the experiment (Chandler, 1991, p.204).” Probably the only government whose philosophy has totally molded Cambodian moral/legal/economic system into a complete earthly utopia, Democratic Kampuchea draws a lot of curiosity from the world’s states and inhabitants.Democratic Kampuchea is the government that ruled Cambodia from 1975-1979. This regime is governed by Pol Pot, Ieng Sary and Kieve Samphan and other subordinates. This regime is notorious for its “auto-genocide” which means slaughtering its own people (having the same nationality as the leaders). Democratic Kampuchea is considered as one of the weirdest regimes in the world, due to its destruction of its own nation and people. For years, the world has dramatically turned their attentions to this 1975-1979 regime. For better understand about Democratic Kampuchea government, I suggested:David P. Chandler (1999). Brother Number One.Ben Kiernan (1985). How Pol Pot Came To Power.David P. Chandler (1991). The Tragedy of Cambodian history.Or visit Documentation Centre of Cambodia.Many questions are still remained unanswered; why the government killed too many people? Who was/were responsible for the demises of over one million Cambodian citizens? How would those history traitors be punished? To answer many of the questions above, a glimpse into Democratic Kampuchea’s governance would dramatically benefit. Did Democratic Kampuchea do anything among the four to fulfill what we call the obligations of the government?I. Establishing Justice?The term “justice” is extremely convoluted to express in words. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle…etc, all have different opinions for this term “justice”. Not only amongst the people, different forms of government; capitalism, socialism, and democracy, also provide different perspectives. We could define the word justice by presenting a figure of a blindfold woman with a set of scales. The scales symbolize balance and fairness; the blindfold stands for impartiality (McKenna, 1998, 7). “Justice does not necessarily mean treating everyone alike; otherwise all workers would receive the same pay and all students would earn the same grade, regardless of performance or effort. The impartiality of justice is not completely indiscriminate” (McKenna, 1998, 7). For Aristotle’s perspective, just is “the proportional,” meaning that each person should be given what is due to him or her (McKenna, 1998, 8).Justice was never been done in the Pol Pot regime. What Pol Pot had promised that his regime would bring the innovative circle for the people; justice, opportunity for the uneducated and the poor, turning elite’s political power into people’s hands, etc, were been done very little. On the outset of its governance, Democratic Kampuchea divided people into two groups; “base people” and “new people”. This I would call the second apartheid, like in South Africa. The new people had much harsher living conditions and torture, compared to the base people. Even in the one-party-one-candidate election, base people were not allowed to vote at all. Resulting from this, one query has been arisen; why Democratic Kampuchea had discrimination on its own people? We can venture to answer the question that, because Pol Pot had long had revengeful mentality.For the whole reigning period of Democratic Kampuchea, Cambodian people were forced to devote their lives to unpaid labour force to fulfill the earthly “collective agrarian utopia” policy. CPK soldiers were taught the culture of detest toward Royal dynasties, intellectuals, the rich, and Sihanouk and Lon Nol’s adherents. Over the years, they has been trained to hate “enemies of the organization” – the Americans, who bombed the country, the traitors allied to the Americans, and the city-dwellers, who had refused to join the revolution. They were taught to relish their resentments; a CPK cadre told Sophy “we were so angry when we emerge from the forest that we didn’t want to spare even a baby in its cradle (Chandler, 1991, p.253).” Before 1977-1978, revenge between classes was widespread. One handwritten document, entitled ‘Who Leads the People’s War?’, illustrates the absolute character of Democratic Kampuchea’s government with a veiled reference to Sihanouk:…Therefore the only leaders of the people’s war are the layer of the people who experience the greatest expression, the greatest pain, and have the greatest anger are the most absolute in waging war to exterminate the exploiting classes, the imperialists, the feudalists and the capitalists. These layers of people are the toiler class. And the highest Organization, the top general command, the vanguard force, with the boldest line of attack for the toiler class, is the toiler Party, which is adorned with the greatest brilliance of Maxist-Leninist consciousness and endowed with a political line and political standpoint of serving above all the interests of the producing class, and of the nation...(Ben Kiernan, 1985, p.326)In September 1977, Pol Pot encouraged the farming strata of people by comparing them to the empire of Angkor Wat;Long ago we have Angkor. Angkor was built during the slaving era. Slaves like us built Angkor under the exploitation class so the royal people can live in happiness. If our people can built Angkor, they can do anything (Chandler, 1996, p.246).All the culture and tradition; language, religion, clothing, food, etc, of ethnic minorities and even of Cambodian people were abolished, except the Khmer language was the only cultural item to be retained. Familyism was still seen among the top leaders of Democratic Kampuchea; relatives of the leaders were not to be evacuated or tortured (Chandler, 1993, p.210). All people were not allowed to have access to lawyers or judges at all, they were convicted by the Democratic Kampuchea’s soldiers only, though Chapter 7, Article 9 stated that “Justice is administered by people’s courts, representing and defending the people’s justice, defending the democratic rights and liberties of the people, and condemning any activities directed against the people’s State or violating the laws of the people’s State (Jennar, 1995, p.85).II. Ensuring Domestic Tranquility?Philosopher Reinhold Niebuhr noted that “every community seeks consciously and unconsciously to make social peace and order the first goal of its life” and he also added that “for the simple reason that chaos means nonexistence” (McKenna, 1998, 9). As stated above, because men are innately self-important, government is the compulsory institution to cater domestic tranquility. Madison wrote that since men were no angels, we require some kind of armed umpire to keep us from harming one another (McKenna, 1998, 9). Professor George McKenna proclaimed that coercion is the available source of the government to stabilize the state (McKenna, 1998, 7), and no one can hold this source besides the government, which is comprised of people. What about the Democratic Kampuchea, had them done such an obligation?In May 1975, a spokesman of Democratic Kampuchea publicly proclaimed, “more than two thousands year of Cambodian history has end. A little hostile glance into the politics of Democratic Kampuchea, one (especially one living outside Cambodia) may think that Democratic Kampuchea did provide stability to the people, because for nearly the whole of its reign, there were no serious internal and external upheavals. This stability was caused by removing all the human rights and even the natural rights of the Cambodian people only. Such a compressed stability is not called “genuine stability”, because the government’s deployment of force to attain. For Plato, to attain the stability of the whole state, each individual must have stability in the soul as well (Forsyth & Soper, 1988, p. 24). Imagine, how could you sleep if you didn’t have enough food? How would you feel if you were convicted guilty without having a chance to protest back?III. Providing for The Common Defense?Government is an aggregate of similar ideology, so that such an organization is formed to service the people. James Madison claimed that because man is different from angel; endless ambition, man is deem to be curiously argumentative. We can draw an equation from this that, government is supposed to have the same mentality; one government could invade another government for beneficial or malicious purpose.As April Seventeen arrived, government soldiers were told that the war had finished and all Khmer was to become brothers who should integrate to get Kampuchea Krom back from Vietnam. And one Special Centre Assembly for Cabinet Ministers and all zone/region secretary was held. In that special meeting, among the eight points stated by Pol Pot, seventh point; expel the entire Vietnamese minority population, and eighth point; sending soldiers to the border especially to the Khmer-Vietnamese border (Ben Kiernan, 1985, p.361-362). Ta Mok added that all place that has palm trees, is belonged to Khmer. Democratic Kampuchea constitution, Chapter I, Article 1 which stated that “The State of Kampuchea is an independent, unified, peaceful, neutral, non-aligned, sovereign, and democratic State enjoying territorial integrity (Jennar, 1995, p.83)” also devote to defense Khmer territory and Khmer people against foreign invasion in any form. However, do these all mean Democratic Kampuchea did response to the third obligation, thus worth called “a responsible government”?If not under any form of foreign pressure, many has come up with a rhetoric why people were forced to bury their heads into giant collective farms, in order to attain the yielding policy of the revolutionary organization? And how was the annual farming yield vanished?Democratic Kampuchea was deemed to have a lot of similarities to the Cultural Revolution of Mao Zedong in between 1966-1976. Those similarities were seen in that Mao Zedong forced all the Chinese schools to be closed, and after months, he encouraged the Red Guards to abolish all the traditional values and bourgeois things, in order to test the party’s followers by criticizing them. The commanders ordered their subordinates and soldiers to take control schools, factories and government agencies. Step by step, this revolution moved to become stricter and stricter. Many elderly people were not only mentally attacked but also physically (cultural revolution, internet, p.1-2). Other resemblances were seen in turning all the private property into state ownership and the great leap forward approach. Ben Kiernan wrote about Chinese financial aids to Democratic Kampuchea that; in September 13, 1975 diplomatic source in Beijing claimed that China increased un-aligned financial/military aids to Cambodia up to one billion USD and twenty millions USD as rewards. This was thought as the most impressive aids of China ever been given to any country (Chandler, 1991, p.260). David P. Chandler added that; most farmers, happy or unhappy, were owed to their creditor, China (Chandler, 1991, p.239). Many new people saw the point that they had to work to feed themselves and to increase the agrarian productivities. Such a stance was diminished after the 1975’s output was seen to deliver to far-away unloaded destination by government trucks. In fact, the government delivered thousand of tones of rice to China to pay the debts. The 1976’s finished rice was to be deliver as well, but due to excessive demands from the government, starvation became widespread (Chandler, 1991, p. 239).All the above evident has unveiled the Democratic Kampuchea that hadn’t protect people from foreign invasion at all. In contrast, people were enslaved to pay the debts of the government back to China.IV. Promoting The General Welfare?Maslow asserted that People desire for hierarchy of motives; starting from physiological needs to safety needs to love needs, esteem needs, and finally self-actualization needs (Myers,1990, 314). Besides the three chronological obligations of the government written above, government is assigned to be the welfare-supplier to all the Cambodian citizens. Business regulation, helping the disabled and orphans in the form of payments or shelters. For this purpose, varieties of institution, governmental organizations, and non-governmental organizations have been established to accelerate the process. Constitution also claims the role of the government on this goal.Government should be like a tree that unconditionally and tirelessly provides shade to all who are in need. Or like the parents who cater cares for the children. Government would always heroically venture to sacrifice everything for the goods of its citizens, as Buth Savong, Cambodia’s Buddhist philosophy scholar, wrote in his book called “The Lesson for Life”;In the dry season, absence of wind, in the middle of field, the heat is enormously high, but the tree can still bare such an ordeal respectfully.Look! Admire the tree that provides cool shade to men and animals, always be tolerant to the sun’s ray, in accordance to her nature.Likewise, the guardian/breadwinner is the comfortable shade of the other, he or herself has to possess the quality of endurance, struggle for the hardship.Admire the parents! Both of them are the guardians/breadwinners of the child/children, how have they endured the suffering (Buth Savong, 2003, p.58)…Or like in the book entitled, “The Tao Inner Peace”, Diane Dreher suggested the style of leadership through Taoist philosophy. In that book, she stated that leader would resemble the water, which is always cool and timelessly beneficial.“The best people (government) are like water.They benefits all things,And do not compete with them.They settle in low places,…” (Dreher, 1990,180).Democratic Kampuchea’s general welfare was far below zero, people were forced to live their lives back into the primitive tradition during antiquity.ConclusionGovernment is a mean to an end! There is no need at all, if men are innately insightful, philosophical, psychologically enlightened. But since men are evil creatures, government is required to cease the upheavals of the people. The four basic duties stated above, is initial answer to the question “why government?”. Still government has many more compulsions to be executed to be worth called people’s government. Democratic Kampuchea didn’t fill any among the four obligations as they did contract with the people, while campaigning for popular support. Such a gang government is not supposed to last long, because they deploy forces to make people respect them.Professor Atiyah, in one of his edition called “Promises, Morals, and Law” wrote that; A human being has only very limited capacity to improve his lot in the world when he acts entirely on his own. It is only by exchanging his surplus goods, and the products of his labour, with others, and by thus joining with them in cooperative activities that man has been able to create the wealth which satisfies the wants of human race. No single person acting on his own could begin to make one-thousandth of the goods which he uses in his daily life-the food he eats, the house he lives in, the car or train in which he travels to work, are all the result of co-operation by an unimaginable number of people. So it is easy to agree that anything which encourages or facilitates human co-operation is, other things being equal, of great utility (Atiyah, 1995, p.30-31). Democratic Kampuchea government is thought to be full of milk of self-interest; turning the whole society to fit their needs. Perhaps now we can venture to answer the question why did Democratic Kampuchea last too short? by using Professor Atiyah’s statements and because they turn the whole society into self-interest.Contact: 221H Street 93, Tuol Sangke quarter, Russey Keo district, Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia, tel: 855 11 268 445, vichekalay@yahoo.com
Keyword : Pol Pot and his legacies

Transfer Restrictions in Franchise Agreements

2008-03-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Lance Winslow
A smart franchisor must control the strength of the franchise organization in team. Therefore when a transfer is to occur from one franchisee to one another the franchisor must provide guidelines, stipulations and if necessary restrictions to the right to transfer.In our franchise company we had considered this at length and below is a clause which I had inserted into every franchise agreement;2.7 Transfer RestrictionsIf at any time any legal restrictions shall be imposed upon the purchase of U.S. currency or the transfer to or credit of a non-resident corporation with payments in such currency, Franchisee shall notify Franchisor immediately. Franchisee shall use its best efforts to obtain any consents or authorizations which may be necessary to effect payment in U.S. currency. If Franchisee, despite its best efforts, is unable to effect payment in U.S. currency, Franchisor may direct Franchisee to make payment to Franchisor in such other currency and in such other territory or jurisdictions as Franchisor may select. Franchisor may (to the extent permissible by law) require Franchisee to make such payments to a separate account for the exclusive and sole use and benefit of Franchisor and provide Franchisor with evidence of such payments. Franchisor's acceptance of payment in a currency other than that of the U.S. shall not relieve or release Franchisee of or from its obligations to make future payments in U.S. currency to the extent permitted by law.If, having used its best efforts, Franchisee is unable to obtain consent to or authorization of a method and manner of payment acceptable to Franchisor, then Franchisor may, by written notice to Franchisee, forthwith terminate this Agreement without any claim being made by either party against the other with respect to such termination, but subject to the provisions of this Agreement which expressly or by implication become effective or continue in effect subsequent to such termination.-------- ---------- -----------Such transfer restrictions are commonplace in franchise agreements, however if they are not worded correctly they can do more harm than good. It is for this reason that franchisee companies are well advised to consult with an experienced franchise attorney on this subject matter. Consider this in 2006.Lance Winslow - Online Think Tank forum board. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; www.WorldThinkTank.net/wttbbs/
Keyword : Transfer Restrictions in Franchise Agreements

Recorded Statement vs Written Declaration

2008-03-08T08:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Jay Rosenzweig
The recorded statement is not an easy replacement of the signed written declaration. It has its own techniques and advantages and disadvantages. The following is a list of some of the advantages and disadvantages of a recorded statement as compared to a written statement:Advantages of a Recorded Statementa. The statement is given in the subject's own words and his or her particular accent and phrase usage.b. The recording will indicate a subject's emphasis and inflections and will give an idea as to whether he or she is forceful and positive or weak and vacillating.c. Is probably the preferred method of obtaining a statement from an illiterate person.d. Usually easier to read than a hand written declaration.e. Generally takes less time to complete than a written statement.Disadvantages of a Recorded Statement:a. The statement is not signed by the subject at the time of interview (Unless the transcription is sent to the subject at a later date for signature).b. Subject may "freeze" knowing the conversation is being recorded.c. Faulty handling of the recorded interview can result in the statement being useless as evidence.d. It is essential that the recording be clear and audible. Background noise not noticed at the time may prove to effectively "wipe out" much of the recorded interview by covering the voices, making it difficult or impossible to hear and understand the questions and answers.e. Impressions of witnesses are more accurate in person rather the over the telephone (if it's not a personal interview).Most statements are used in court for impeachment purposes only. However, in some cases, if you show up in court with a pile of witness statements in your favor, most likely the judge will take that into consideration when rendering a decision.Remember, even if the witness does not want to cooperate and provide a statement (but will provide an interview), you can still use your notes for impeachment purposes. I suggest that you do not conduct investigation on your own behalf, but to hire a professional. Courts give more credibility to a 3rd party (or someone impartial) rather that someone related to the case.Jay Rosenzweig is the owner of California Investigation Services and J R Investigations. He is a past president of the California Association of Licensed Investigators.
Keyword : article submission, articles, writers, writing, publishing, ezine, email marketing, email newsletter, email

Mississippi Child Support Laws The Magnolia State

2008-03-08T08:01:00.001-08:00

Author : Holcy Thompson III
The child support enforcement office is able to assist custodial parents in locating a non-custodial parent, enforcing child support, establish paternity, and any other assistance the custodial parents may need.When applying for Mississippi child support services, the first step you need to take is to call or visit your local county child support office. Custodial parents who are on programs such as TANF or any other state or federal assistance will be referred to a child support office for services. Parents who are not on these programs can apply for child support services through their local county office. A one-time application fee of $25.00 will be charged for parents who are not receiving federal or state assistance.When determining the amount of child support that will be paid, the laws will go by the child support guidelines. These guidelines will determine the amount of child support by calculating a percentage of the non-custodial parent's gross income. This percentages is also calculated by the number of children, and the needs of the children.Mississippi Child Support EnforcementSome parents fall behind or just will not pay child support. We label these people as dead beat parents. In the state of Mississippi, there are methods to collecting unpaid child support. Theses methods include income withholding, tax offset interception, unemployment compensation interception, contempt actions, etc. These action were created for the purpose to enforce child support payments.Establishing PaternityIf a child is born out of wedlock, the custodial parents must first establish paternity in order for the courts to establish a child support order. By establishing paternity, the child will know who his or her parents and their medical history. Paternity can be established when both parents sign an acknowledgement of paternity form and return it to a hospital staff member when the child is born. There will not be a fee for this method. Another method to establish paternity, is to have a genetic test performed on the other parent to see if he is the father of the child/children. Establishing paternity is very important when applying for child support. It is also important to locate and make sure you have proof that the alleged father is the real father of you child/children.Click for more info on Mississippi Child Support laws, and Mississippi Child Support EnforcementOrVisit the Child Support Laws Home Page
Keyword : Mississippi Child Support, Mississippi Child Support Laws, Mississippi Child Support Enforcement,

Real Estate Power of Attorney

2008-03-08T07:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Kent Pinkerton
A real estate Power of Attorney grants legal authority to another party or agent to make financial decisions regarding the principal's real property, including purchase and sale. In particular, the Power of Attorney provides the authority to negotiate, purchase, sell, convey, transfer, mortgage, preserve, or dispose of the real estate property (or properties) mentioned in the form.The agent may manage the principal's real estate property; sell, convey and mortgage realty for prices and on terms as considered prudent; foreclose mortgages and take title to property in the principal's name; and implement deeds, mortgages, releases, satisfactions and other instruments relating to realty.A real estate Power of Attorney is limited only to the extent that it grants authority only for real estate transactions; however, the powers granted in that regard are quite broad so the principal must grant such powers only to someone he or she trusts unconditionally. He must be confident that the agent will act in his or her best interests, keep accurate records, keep his or her property separate from the agent's properties and avoid conflicts of interest. Otherwise, the principal could be in danger of losing the real estate to a dishonest individual.Any Power of Attorney that deals with the transfer of real estate must be notarized because the Power of Attorney needs to be recorded along with the transfer documents. All previous Power of Attorney documents relating to the property (or properties) are immediately annulled upon execution. Once executed, this Power of Attorney form goes into effect and remains in effect until revoked in writing by the principal, or on a specified date, whichever comes first. To revoke, cancel or annul any powers, a revocation form must be used.Power Of Attorney provides detailed information about power of attorney, power of attorney forms, medical power of attorney, limited power of attorney and more. Power Of Attorney is the sister site of Divorce Legal Forms.
Keyword : power of attorney, power of attorney forms, medical power of attorney, limited power of attorney

The Role of a Connecticut Real Estate Lawyer

2008-03-08T07:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Stu Pearson
A Connecticut Real estate attorney must and at all times, make sure that the client has willingly firm and determined legally the rights to what concerns the client's wants in a real estate situation. This includes the broad and extensive range of real estate asset types.Moreover, a real estate lawyer should comprehend and be aware of the methods to obtain, communicate, portray and acquire each of the very huge number of classes and groups of real estate types. And of course, be able to advice a client which is possibly the most creative and financially beneficial.A newcomer to real estate investing should learn the basic principles as well as the income tax treatment of real estate. This is also because there are many tax consequences and conflicts (either good or bad) that are often encountered in real estate ownership under several tax laws. Having high-quality legal work in the real estate practice area both shelters and adjoins outstanding value to the oldest exceptional asset in the world.Transactions that occur in real estate vary from simple house closing including the title, survey, contract, home mortgage, and closing adjustments; to office leasing, warehouse, retail, manufacturing, and other space classes. It involves the financing for acquisition of real estate assets. It also includes the entitlement and permitting the use of real estate assets to construction, design and improvement or enhancement to these real estate assets as well as their development.The value any capable Connecticut lawyer can add goes further than what the clients expect. Adding value with creative legal work contributes to the attainment of client necessities.Moreover, real legal value draws from the structural constituent and building blocks that run from the lawyer's familiarity, practice, and counseling in order to obtain tax benefits and eventually making the most of the asset value in the market. In addition, this fully apprehends the use of the real estate interest and concerns while constantly keeping in close contact with the client's purposes and intentions.A good real estate Connecticut lawyer not only counsels his or her client in their legal needs and queries but also deals with the problem with utmost care and concern to the consequences that may arise, while still fulfilling the client's goals and expectations.In the world of real estate, there are numerous situations that you may encounter once you become a real estate investor. And finding the right real estate lawyer must be the first priority. These real estate lawyers are the ones responsible for the legal needs and understand all legal transactions that you may not know at all. He or she is responsible for keeping you informed and aware of the legal problems and conflicts that can arise in relation to your real estate assets and investing needs.Stu Pearson has an interest in Business related topics. To access more information on the state of connecticut or on the colonial connecticut, please click on the links.
Keyword : Connecticut Lawyer

Why A Good Lawyer is Your Best Friend When Erasing Your Criminal Record

2008-03-08T06:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Daniel Hall
On many different levels erasing a criminal background is a good idea and in many United States jurisdictions entirely within the realm of possibility. Each state and territory within the United States has some kind of law that deals with legally erasing or hiding a criminal background within that jurisdiction.Some states make the remedy very attainable (or easy to qualify for) and others have more stringent criteria. Regardless of jurisdiction, retaining a good, competent lawyer should always be your first step when pursuing a plan to tidy up your past.Why?Because having such legal help could make the difference in your success. Let me lay out the situation.Law is not black and white. Laws typically give the rules but do not necessarily provide guidance on how the rule should be applied in a particular case. Further, there are exceptions to most rules/laws. Knowing if and how an exception applies in your case can be important and tricky. It may well mean the difference in whether or not you're able to succeed in erasing or hiding your criminal background.A good lawyer will be able to help you navigate the morass and tangle of laws that could be your ticket to legally scrubbing the indiscretions of your past. Additionally, if your case does not perfectly fit the provisions of the law allowing for an expungement (legal erasing of a criminal background) a competent lawyer may be able to find a way to help by finding a little-known exception or a creative argument that gets the intended result. This is where lawyers really earn their salt.Here's another thing: laws can be (and often are) ambiguous. This circumstance by definition leaves more control of the case in the discretion of a judge. Essentially this means that two different people with the same criminal background can have two different results. In other words, a judge in one case can decide that the person petitioning the court is entitled to expungement under the laws of the state while a different judge looking at the same case could swing the other way.Here again, having a competent lawyer may help sway the court into giving you the benefit of the doubt in a close call. Further, it never hurts if your attorney happens to be politically connected.I want to make this last point crystal clear: you should never try to clean up your criminal background without the help a lawyer. Why? Because there are tons of pitfalls that could easily lead to failure and worse, some peril related to arousing interest in a dormant criminal case. You don't want a prosecutor trying to resurrect a case against you just because you went nosing around without knowing what you were doing.Do yourself a favor. Get my book ("The Ultimate Guide to Second Chances: Legal Ways to Erase or Hide Your Criminal Background") and get a lawyer!Texas attorney Daniel Hall is the author of the upcoming book "The Ultimate Guide to Second Chances: Legal Ways to Erase or Hide Your Criminal Background" He learned that the remedies discussed in the book existed when he discovered some of his clients had minor criminal blemishes which were holding them back. The book is designed to help those people with petty criminal records which according to tracking statistics is fully 25% of the American populace. Find out more about how the book might help you by visiting: http://www.UltimateSecondChance.com.
Keyword : expunction, expungement, erase hide criminal record, hiring attorney

Lawsuit Settlement Loans

2008-03-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Alison Cole
In lawsuit settlement loans, the financer will buy a part of a plaintiff's anticipated settlement so that the plaintiff can stay financially solvent until that date. Some financers provide a lawsuit settlement loan in exchange for a percentage of the plaintiff's eventual recovery, but these financers are rapidly declining in popularity.As with most legal loans of this type, the financer will not collect if the plaintiff fails to receive the anticipated settlement, so there is a high margin of risk involved for the lender. The financer carefully judges the validity of a case and the plaintiff's potential for future settlement before a 'non-recourse' loan is extended.The kinds of claims that usually qualify for lawsuit settlement loans include auto accidents, medical malpractice, premises liability (slip and fall), commercial litigation, product liability, maritime claims (Jones act), railroad claims (FELA) and personal injury or wrongful death.Many finance institutions offering lawsuit settlement loans also help recipients by structuring the disbursement of the loan according to individual needs. A client may avail of such a loan personally or have an appointed advocate arrange for one. Lawsuit settlement loans come in handy to cover medical and living expenses, legal fees and other outlays that may be incurred while the plaintiff awaits final judgment of a case.Owing to the nature of these loans, the financer usually does not conduct a credit checks and may not set parameters to income requirements to approve a loan. The sole criterion will always be the final amount recovered in the case of favorable settlement for the plaintiff.Settlement Loans provides detailed information on Settlement Loans, Lawsuit Cash Advance Loans, Lawsuit Settlement Loans, Pre-Settlement Loans and more. Settlement Loans is affiliated with Lawsuit Loan Companies.
Keyword : Settlement Loans, Lawsuit Cash Advance Loans, Lawsuit Settlement Loans, Pre-Settlement Loans

Is There A Magic Bullet For Growing Your Practice?

2008-03-08T05:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Liz Ferris
You have made the decision that you want to grow your ADR, mediation and/or collaborative practice.You want to attract more referrals for collaborative and mediation cases, spend less time in court and do more work that is in alignment with your interests and values.You have decided this is the year that you will transform your practice. However, there is one glitch; you already have a busy practice and you do not have a lot of extra time.What you would really like is a fast solution, a "magic bullet" to help you make this transformation.Is there a magic bullet for growing your practice? Something fast and quick that you can do or buy to help you transform your practice.The answer to this question is the same as the answer to the question of how you would transform any other area in your life.Health and fitness is one example that comes to mind. Let's say you wake up one day and decide that you are not satisfied with your health status, including your weight, diet and level of physical activity. You want to feel and look healthier.You might be tempted by the latest health fad or "quick fix" diet; however, you know from prior experience that the only effective way to increase your health and fitness is through ongoing, consistent attention to your diet, weekly physical activity, and a stress management regimen. In other words, to truly transform your health requires personal commitment and discipline.The same process applies to transforming your practice. It will only happen through personal commitment and discipline and it will require taking a step back from the day-to-day activities of your busy practice and answering the following three questions:• Where are you today in relation to your practice goals?
• Where do you want to be in the next 12-24-36 months?
• How you will you get there? (What is your plan?)Where are you today?The first step to transforming your practice is performing a self assessment and answering the following questions:1. Why do you want to grow your collaborative/mediation practice?
2. Why is this important to you?
3. What are your greatest strengths and opportunities for growing your practice?
4. What are your greatest weaknesses and barriers for growing your practice?
5. What are three things that, if you could do them better, would dramatically increase the success of your collaborative or mediation practice?Use the answers from number 1 and number 2 to clarify and internalize why it is important for you to transform your practice. Knowing these answers will help you to make the personal commitment necessary to transform your practice.On those days when you just do not want to go to the POD or group meeting or make that follow up call, look at the reasons you gave for wanting to grow your practice. How important is this to you? How badly do you want this? Connecting the activity to your personal values will help to motivate you to make the call, attend the meeting, etc.Where do you want to go?In the book, First Things First, Steven Covey says, "You must first have a destination to reach one." Where do you want your practice to be in 12-24-36 months? Write these goals down and review them frequently. Use the goals to help you reach monthly or quarterly benchmarks.Track referrals, calls and new cases. Monitor your success and continually update your plan to accommodate what is working and not working. Embrace the journey and have fun along the way. Much of the excitement of making a transformation is the journey to get there.How will you get there?Identify your strengths and opportunities and integrate them into your plan. For example, if you are an excellent writer, use your strength to write articles to increase your visibility among your target market. If you are active on a board and well known in the community, how can you leverage this visibility to grow your practice?At the same time, be aware of your greatest barriers and weaknesses to growing your practice. If your greatest barrier is lack of confidence in your new skills as a collaborative professional, how will you address this barrier in your action plan?To create your plan, identify the three to four most important strategies for growing your practice, and then execute them consistently.If you were going to transform your lifestyle to be healthier, you might choose among the following activities -- walking 4-5 times a week, limiting alcohol intake, eating less sugar or fat, increasing time to meditate and relax , etc..Similarly, if you want to transform your practice, you may want to choose from among the following critical strategies:• Master your core message so it is clear what you do and the value you provide
• Update your website so it effectively communicates your value and message
• Identify your target market
• Increase your visibility with targeted referral sources
• Write articles of interest to your target market
• Give presentations to groups who could benefit learning about collaborative practice or mediation services
• Achieve excellence in your practice
• Participate in your collaborative/mediation community.In summary, there is no magic bullet or quick fix to growing your collaborative and/or mediation practice. The good news is you can build a practice that is in alignment with your interests and goals by making a commitment to transform your practice and doing the activities that are consistent with that goal. The key is to take the time to be clear on your goals and implement the strategies that will bring you the greatest return on your investment of time and resources."It has been said that the difference between the major and minor leagues is just a matter of inches and consistency. That is essentially true of the difference between excellence and mere adequacy in poetry or surgery or anything else."George F. Will, newspaper columnistLiz Ferris, founder of Ferris Consulting, specializes in assisting attorneys, mental health professionals and financial specialists to grow their practice through result-oriented marketing and practice development strategies. She has worked with attorneys, collaborative professionals and mediators across North America to implement effective strategies for increasing awareness and demand for their services. Elizabeth can be reached at http://www.ferrisconsult.com© 2005 Elizabeth Ferris, All rights reserved. You are free to use material in whole or in part, as long as you include complete attribution, including live web site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.
Keyword : law marketing, lawyer marketing, attorney marketing, liz ferris, ferris consulting, adr marketing

Wrongful Termination: 18 Things a Lawyer May Want to See When You Meet

2008-03-08T05:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Ken B
Wrongful termination occurs when you are fired in a way that violates public policy and may include situations where you were forced to resign (called constructive discharge). If your employer fired you, or asked you to resign, or if you quit because you felt working conditions were intolerable, you may have a case for wrongful discharge.You need to contact a lawyer and schedule an initial conference with him or her. To make that first meeting as fruitful as possible, you need to provide copies of a number of documents for the lawyer to review.There is a useful list of 18 things your lawyer may want to review presented at:http://employment.findlaw.com/articles/2563.html .A key item for review is a diary or chronology, or a written journal of events, with dates of important employment problems, any opposition you made to employment policies or practices, any participation you may have had in investigation of any discrimination complaint, meetings, and adverse actions taken against you.If you kept such a journal, good; make a copy. If not, start recreating the series of events from memory, emails, documents, your calendar, and whatever else can help jog your memory. This is done most easily on a computer, either as a table in Microsoft Word or as a modified spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel. The advantage of using the computer is that when you remember an event that occurred between two events you already have in the table, you can merely insert a new row into the table and fill in the date and details of the event.Having copies of documentation for your lawyer to review will help him or her determine if you have been the victim of wrongful termination.by Ken B -- Writing to assist others who have experienced or are experiencing discrimination and to share with you some valuable experience, gained as a non-lawyer who went through the administrative complaint and lawsuit process. See Wrongful Termination and Discrimination.
Keyword : wrongful termination, wrongful discharge, fired, quit, discrimination, working conditions, HR

How to Find Court Records

2008-03-08T04:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Amit Mehta
A registry of criminals doesn't exist. It would be wonderful if it did. Anytime you wanted to learn more about the new neighbor that acts so creepy or the guy at work that keeps bugging you for a date you could just scroll down the list for their name and find out if they have a criminal past. Unfortunately that list is not real, but the information it would contain does exist and is available for public reading. In order to find that information you have to find court records about the person you are interested in learning about.In order to find court records about a person, you have to know which court they were tried or sued in. If you live in New York you won't find court records about your neighbor that just moved from Nebraska by searching at your local county court house. You will only find court records about that person by searching through the records in the county or state where their arrest or lawsuit took place. Of course this is no help to you if you don't know where to look to find court records on the person.Perhaps you do know the area the person came from, so you start your quest to find court records on the person in question, by focusing on that county. That still won't help you if the person was arrested somewhere other than where they were living or if they have a criminal record in places that you don't even know that they lived. In order to find court records on the person, you would have to have a lot of information that might be unavailable to you.To find court records on a person on your own is a daunting task. Conceivable you could search through the court records of every court in the land hoping to stumble upon the person's name, but that would take ten lifetimes. In order to find court records on your own, you would need years. Who has that much time? When you need information about a person's criminal past, you need it fast. The best way to find court records when you don't have a lot of information to go on is to work with a professional service.A professional service that deals with helping you find court records, will have the resources to get you the information you need much faster than you could find court records on your own. A company that specializes in helping you find court records can tell you if the person you are concerned about was ever arrested, convicted, or even paroled. When you find court records about the person in question, you can even learn if they have ever violated a parole. Searching through public court records can turn up valuable information. Taking the time to find court records can seen intimidating, but with the help of a company that specializes in helping you find court records, the information you need can be in your hands in no time.Dr. Amit Mehta is a writer for http://Find-Court-Records.org, a large online database that provides unrestricted instant access to all court records.
Keyword : court records, find court records, bankruptcy court records, probate court records, court record

Step Parents - What Are Your Rights?

2008-03-08T04:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Karen Agnew-Griffith
There are, in this complicated world, a great many step-parents. If you are one, as I am, do you know your legal position in terms of what you can and cannot authorise when it comes to your step children?Imagine you have recently married and your spouse has three children. Your spouse is off on camp with the youngest child leaving you to run around with the elder two. You agree they can go out cycling for a half hour. Then the police knock on the door. One of the children has been in an accident and is currently being treated by paramedics before being taken to hospital. The other child is being accused of causing the accident and the police want to talk to her.Neither of the children's natural parents can be contacted by mobile phone. What can you do or more importantly what are you allowed to do? The answer to this question will depend on if you have Parental Responsibility.Who really has parental responsibility?
A step-parent even if married to a parent of children does not acquire Parental Responsibility for a child automatically. Parental Responsibility is the bundle of rights and duties relating to a child. Duties include providing clothing, a home, an education and making sure no harm comes to the child. An individual with Parental Responsibility can authorise a change of name for a child in certain circumstances and can give consent to marry if the child is under the age of 18.The mother of a child always has Parental Responsibility. An unmarried father of a child whose birth was registered before 30th November 2003 does not automatically have Parental Responsibility even if he is registered as the father on the child's birth certificate. Since 1st December 2003 however an unmarried father who is present when the birth is registered i.e. is on the birth certificate, does acquire Parental Responsibility. Father's without Parental Responsibility are able to acquire it through a formal agreement registered with the authorities or through a Court Order.Rights and responsibilities of step-parents
Step-parents since 5th December 2005 can also acquire Parental Responsibility through a formal agreement or Court Order. Other Orders which result in Parental Responsibility to a step-parent or other individual (e.g. grand-parent) are a Residence Order which regulates where a child will live and gives the individual with the Residence Order Parental Responsibility until the child is 16. A Parental Responsibility Order however endures until the child's 18th birthday. Following the Civil Partnership Act 2004 coming into force on the 5th December 2005 same sex partners in a registered Civil Partnership are also able to acquire Parental Responsibility by formal agreement or Court Order.Step-parents however still will not and do not acquire Parental Responsibility automatically. For a formal agreement each person with Parental Responsibility has to sign the Agreement. This is often the natural parents and any other individuals who have acquired Parental Responsibility since the birth of the child.A step-parent on acquiring Parental Responsibility has the same duties and responsibilities as any other individual including a natural parent with Parental Responsibility.For advice on how to acquire parental responsibility and what your responsibilities are as a step-parent contact Karen Agnew-Griffith, specialist family lawyer with Woolley & Co solicitors. Karen regularly advises parents and step-parents about their rights and responsibilities. Call (01366 727170) or email Karen with your specific questions at karen.agnew-griffith@divorce.co.uk
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Georgia Divorce Lawyers

2008-03-08T03:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Ross Bainbridge
If you need sound legal advice to help you avoid costly mistakes when your marriage breaks up in the State of Georgia, then you may want to consult with Georgia divorce lawyers.The process of divorce involves many legal technicalities that can affect your peace of mind and well being, as well as that of your children' for years to come. This is why it is important to consult an attorney that specializes in family law. To protect your interest, do not take any action that can affect your legal rights prior to consulting a Georgia divorce lawyer.You may begin your search for a divorce lawyer by seeking recommendations from family and friends, from the state bar and association, or from directories found on the Internet. You need to first set up an interview with the lawyer to determine if the two of you can work together. You probably need to interview some lawyers before you can find one who you are comfortable working with.Do not be afraid to ask questions – your divorce lawyer is there to help you make important decisions, so he or she should be willing to discuss with you any of your concerns. Should your Georgia divorce lawyer have specific suggestions regarding your case, ask him or her how that action can affect your future. Get the most out of your consultation sessions – after all, you are paying for their expertise and experience.It might help for you to know your lawyer's experience in handling divorce cases, so ask for references. It is also important to know your lawyer's availability, and how much you have to shell out for fees. Arrange for a written agreement on retainer fees. This will detail the exact scope of work your attorney will do for you, and how much (and how often) you will be billed for services.You should also ask how long the divorce process will take, and ask that the steps involved be explained to you. Solicit your divorce lawyer's views on settlement and litigation, too, so you can make very informed decisions.Divorce is a life turning event in anyone's life. By following the above guidelines, you will spare yourself from further headaches.Georgia Lawyers provides detailed information on Georgia Lawyers, Georgia Injury Lawyers, Georgia Real Estate Lawyers, Georgia Divorce Lawyers and more. Georgia Lawyers is affiliated with Georgia Automobile Insurance Laws.
Keyword : Georgia Lawyers, Georgia Injury Lawyers, Georgia Real Estate Lawyers, Georgia Divorce Lawyers

Hurricane Preparedness and Workers' Compensation

2008-03-08T03:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Linda Fox
Among the lessons learned from the 2005 hurricane season are how to deal with displaced workers, especially those that are injured. All states could take a cue from Texas Governor Rick Perry, who issued a bulletin in anticipation of impending disasters.The bulletin was very proactive in nature. It advised companies and others to have an alternative plan for reporting injuries in the event of displacement due to natural disasters. The target audience included workers' compensation insurance companies for both hurricane victims as well as evacuees from all along the Gulf Coast.Some specifics mentioned are for companies to:

provide methods for reporting a change of address for displaced employees
provide displaced workers with immediate medical attention when injured
quickly distribute benefit checks
allow extensions of deadlines for filing claimsThis advice could certainly apply to more areas than workers' compensation. Everyone can learn to be more proactive. Find out your companies position and procedures on medical care when disasters occur and cause your own potential displacement. Keep information of this nature for each person in your family or household handy.Lastly, all states need issue or reissue similar advisories so this kind of information is fresh for the 2006 hurricane season.Linda Fox Workers' compensation victim and webmaster for First Comp Info.
Keyword : workers' compensation

West Virginia Lawyers

2008-03-08T02:31:00.001-08:00

Author : Richard Romando
West Virginia lawyers are lawyers who practice law in the state of West Virginia. The "Mountain State," as it is called, is the only state that acquired its power by the declaration of the President of the United States. West Virginia lawyers are employed either in private law firms or conduct practice in an individual capacity.The rich history of the practice of law in West Virginia still resonates in its courtrooms. Since 1878, the West Virginia University School of Law has been an important academic institution, playing a pioneering role in imparting training in law to students from all over the east coast of the nation. Apart from assisting in basic lawmaking, the school has been instrumental in supporting and encouraging simplification of the law in West Virginia. Another institution that has helped in proposing and effecting reforms in state legislations concerning various legal areas is the West Virginia Law Institute, which was established in 1988.West Virginia lawyers work under the State Bar and the Supreme Court of Appeals of West Virginia. This has helped them acquire high standards of ethics and professional conduct. Maintaining such high standards is a part of the terms regulating lawyers in West Virginia. Lawyers in West Virginia have to abide by the Rules of Professional Conduct. An official complaint of dishonorable conduct against a lawyer is considered a matter of serious concern. A complaint of this nature would set in motion the corrective process of the West Virginia State Bar and the Supreme Court of Appeals. These corrective measures ensure discipline among the community of lawyers in West Virginia. If a lawyer receives a complaint from a client, he or she can attempt to remove it from representation. Lawyers in West Virginia are expected to provide and improve legal services that assist citizens in working through legal matters quickly and with minimum hassle.Virginia Lawyers provides detailed information on Virginia Lawyers, West Virginia Lawyers, Virginia Accident Lawyers, Virginia Real Estate Lawyers and more. Virginia Lawyers is affiliated with Texas Family Lawyers.
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Unpaid Overtime - Stockbroker Lawsuits at AG Edwards, Edward Jones & Merrill Lynch

2008-03-08T02:00:00.001-08:00

Author : Todd Going
Thousands of stock brokers, brokers assistants, and financial advisors that worked at AG Edwards, Edward Jones, and Merrill Lynch in Illinois, Missouri, and New Jersey may have been cheated out of their duly earned overtime pay by unscrupulous and dishonest brokerage firms.Federal and state laws cover a number of specific situations where certain employees can be denied overtime. Under the Fair Standards Labor Act, a worker is entitled to overtime pay if they do not fall into the "administrative, professional, or executive" categories, and are compensated at least $455 a week This amount, called the salary test, must not vary depending on quality or quantity of work. To determine occupational category, employers use the duties test. The federal duties test stipulates that an employee must perform non-manual or office work in a managerial or general business capacity and must also exercise "discretion and independent judgment" in regards to "matters of significance." If an employee does not meet these tests, they qualify for overtime.Most stockbrokers and financial advisors work on a commission basis, and therefore do not receive the base $455 weekly pay mandated by the federal government. Furthermore, even though most brokers work exceedingly long and stressful hours, they may not make enough commission to take home the base $455, and thus their hours are wasted. If employers elect to classify these hard workers into exempt classes contrary to their clear definitions under the law, they can be held financially and legally responsible.Thousands of brokers in California have successfully forced Merrill Lynch to pay millions of dollars in unpaid overtime. You may be entitled to similar compensation.To learn more about unpaid stockbroker overtime or Merrill Lynch lawsuits, please visit our website at

http://www.sddefenselawyers.com/stockbrokerovertime/This article may be freely reprinted as long as this resource box is included and all links stay intact as hyperlinks.
Keyword : Unpaid Overtime - Stockbroker Lawsuits at AG Edwards, Edward Jones & Merrill Lynch

Frivolous Lawsuits

2008-03-08T01:31:00.000-08:00

Author : Eric Morris
A frivolous lawsuit can be described as one that is filed despite the fact that both the plaintiff and the lawyer are fully aware that the lawsuit is grossly devoid of merit. It is also based on the fact that it does not confirm to a rational augmentation of the law. In such lawsuits there is no basis for the legal representative's meticulous probe of the case.The probe is done before the lawsuit is initiated in the court. The frivolous lawsuit can be termed accordingly, depending on the fact that the attorney delivers his judgment in virtuous loyalty. The court's time as well as the time of the other party, resources and legal fees is wasted in a frivolous lawsuit. In certain cases it may lead to restrictions being imposed by the court on the party or the lawyer who initiates the proceedings.Most of the frivolous lawsuits are due to the fact that litigants acting on their own behalf frequently resort to airing thoughtless opinions. This is due to their imperfect acquaintance with legal technicalities.The more widespread application of the expression "frivolous" in discussions related to political matters points to court cases founded on the theory of the incongruous. In such instances there is no connection between the ways of the defendant and the damages suffered by the applicant. In such lawsuits the declaration in compensation very much surpasses what one would anticipate from a short synopsis of the case.Verdicts related to medical negligence are also commonly described as frivolous. In matters linked to such cases, a jury and a judge delivers a judgment in support of the applicant. The term 'frivolous lawsuit' is noted for its haziness in the truest sense of the term, and at times terming these lawsuits "frivolous" can be puzzling.Lawsuits provides detailed information on Lawsuits, Mesothelioma Lawsuits, Frivolous Lawsuits, Medical Malpractice Lawsuits and more. Lawsuits is affiliated with Lawsuit Funding Companies.
Keyword : Frivolous Lawsuits

What Can You Expect If You Land A Paralegal Job

2008-03-08T01:00:00.000-08:00

Author : Robert Proctor
Paralegals work in a wide variety of areas – from law firms to government offices, from trade unions to the armed forces, construction companies, accounting and engineering firms – in fact, anywhere that law-related work is performed, paralegals will almost certainly be employed. Paralegals working in the private sector are commonly employed by law firms and corporations. In large commercial law firms, a paralegal will assist with legal transaction or litigation cases, where they are responsible for organizing, copying, and tracking legal documents. Paralegals may be involved in specialized areas of the law, such as conveyancing, probate, matrimonial law or family law. A paralegal working in commerce may work in a variety of fields such as in the financial sector, banks, building societies or insurance companies. In the public sector, paralegals are employed by non-profit public law firms, government departments, local authorities, health care authorities, and the Police or Social Services. The duties of the paralegal will vary according to where they work. For example, in public sector, paralegals are more likely to be called upon to give advice to the public or work with clients in some fashion.No matter where a paralegal works, there are several qualities and skills which a good paralegal will have. A paralegal should have excellent language, organizational and time management skills, with the ability to work concurrently on a variety of tasks. They should be able to work accurately and attentively, be able to work independently, and have the ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines. Good technical knowledge is also a must, as the use of computers, software packages and databases have become central to the storage and organization of legal documents. Paralegals may be required to organize information in databases, use software to track time billed to clients, or use software packages to compute financial information. A good paralegal will also be courteous, professional, and discreet, and have high ethical standards.At the moment, the profession of paralegal is unregulated in the UK, and there is no commonly accepted or recognized way in which you can become a paralegal. Strictly speaking, you don't need any formal qualifications, but of course they do help, especially if you don't have much work experience. Many young Law graduates work as paralegals for a time, to gain some experience, with the hope of being offered a training contract. Alternatively, some paralegals working in specific law fields have other specialist education – for example, a paralegal working in commerce may have been educated as an accountant or have previously worked in tax preparation before becoming a paralegal.Robert Proctor is part of Legal Week Jobs, a website specialising in legal jobs and recruitment including gradute, legal secretary, solicitor & paralegal jobs.For more information please visit http://www.legalweekjobs.com
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