Short-term financial solutions like so-called "payday" loans may seem like a good fit for someone facing an unexpected expense. They usually require no collateral and no credit check, and the money is most often in-hand before the ink is dried on the loan agreement. These loans have a short lifespan, designed to be a bridge between now and the borrower's next paycheck. So, all you have to do is apply, get your money and then pay it back when you get paid - easy, right? Not so fast... Unfortunately, there is a lot more than meets the eye where payday loans ...

As U.S. government investigators continue to follow money across the globe, the number of tax evasion prosecutions keeps increasing. Recently, the oldest Swiss private bank, Wegelin & Co., pleaded guilty to violating U.S. tax laws. The bank admitted to turning a blind eye on possible tax evasion through offshore bank accounts held by its American customers. In early March, a U.S. Federal District Court Judge ordered Wegelin to pay a total of $74 million. The U.S. government alleged that Wegelin sought illegal banking business from UBS customers after that bank came ...

As most Florida homeowners can attest to, natural disasters can be extremely unpredictable in the Sunshine State. Whether dealing with torrential rains and hurricanes, or even sinkholes, Florida homeowners can literally encounter Mother Nature's wrath from almost every angle - from both above and below. Unfortunately, the aftermath of such horrific events can be just as difficult to deal with as the natural disaster itself. For instance, not only do Florida homeowners have to cope with the emotional distress of home damage or lost personal possessions, but also have ...

A committee within the Michigan legislature is advancing a bill permanently raising the drunk driving intoxication threshold from 0.06 to 0.08 percent blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The action is not surprising since the law is a condition of federal funding for road construction in the state. However, the relatively small law change may have an effect on those who imbibe alcohol mixed with diet pop. A recent study indicates that a person's intoxication level is significantly higher if a diet soda versus a regular soda is used as a mixer, increasing the risk of a ...

The stereotype that surrounds divorce is the "Kramer vs. Kramer" or "War of the Roses" style break up, a heated, adversarial process that pits one spouse against the other. This notion may make you feel like a peaceful divorce is unattainable. But, all divorces do not have to be adversarial. For those who do not want to seek out and destroy their former partner, the collaborative divorce process is worth considering - especially if you have children or if your finances will have to be intertwined for a period of time after the divorce is over. Collaborative ...

Anyone who has filed an application for Social Security Disability benefits knows that the process can take some time. According to the Social Security Administration, it takes three to five months just to receive an initial decision on a disability claim. Should your claim be initially denied, moving through the different levels of appeal can take many more months or even years. However, since 2008 the Social Security Administration has operated a special process to expedite cases involving those with certain conditions. Known as the Compassionate Allowances initiative, ...

For those who are unable to work due to a disability, Social Security Disability payments provide a much-needed lifeline. Social Security Disability, or SSD, is available to individuals with both physical and mental impairments. With the publication of a new proposed administrative rule, the Social Security Administration hopes to better serve the public by being more sensitive to those suffering from mental disabilities. All references to "mental retardation" will be changed More than two years ago, Congress required that the term "intellectual disability" ...

A recent study has good news about teen drinking and driving. According to data released recently by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, teen drinking and driving has plummeted by 54 percent nationwide since 1991. Unfortunately, as one risky behavior has decreased, another has popped up. Distracted driving, often from texts, e-mails and smartphones, is on the rise. Drinking and Driving Down The CDC study on teen drinking and driving incorporated self-reported data obtained through National Youth Risk Behavior Surveys as well as the results of toxicology ...

Crucial in today's world of construction is moving large and heavy loads, particularly here in New York where construction rarely seems to slow down. Cranes are frequently used to accomplish this task. There are significant safety issues to be considered, both for the operators of cranes, and for those workers in close proximity to them. While cranes are a key part of construction, they can also be extremely destructive and if not operated or maintained properly, serious injuries or death can result. Given the size and power of various types of cranes, the potential for ...

Bunny Bop transforms the childhood classic whack-a-mole game into a fast and furious frolic through the springtime fields. Game play is deceptively simple - bops those bunnies on the head as fast as you can, but keep an eye on the carrot supply. If you let one of those pesky bunnies slip away, it will steal a carrot, and you don't want that to happen! Bunny Bop is fun for all ages, with adorable graphics and addictive music. Start bopping! Download for iPhone/iPad: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/smash-vote/id611038484?ls=1&mt=8 Download for Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=air.com.mightybits.bunnybopMighty ...

They say truth is stranger than fiction, and Indie filmmaker Alan "Al Profit" Bradley proves that old saying true with his new movie "The Ghost of Saint Aubin". Shot entirely on location in Detroit, the film recently scored national distribution through Green Apple Entertainment. Saint Aubin is one of Detroit Michigan's oldest streets-and the site of some of the city's bloodiest crimes. "The Ghost of Saint Aubin" weaves incredible true events on Saint Aubin street from the 1800s, 1920s, and 1990s into a fictional tale of love, murder, and ...

Pittasoft, a dashboard camera company in Korea, has recently launched a brand-new product - BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD dash cam. International sales started January 2013. BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD records smooth Full HD (1920x1080p) video at 30fps. Full HD resolution is necessary to clearly capture license plates of accident participants. Its megapixel lens and 2MP CMOS sensor ensure crisp video quality in both daytime and nighttime. High compression technology allows the recording of more footage on the same capacity SD card. One more feature of BlackVue Wi-Fi DR500GW-HD ...

Guest Conductors include James Judd, Matthias Bamert and Conductor Laureate Ignat Solzhenitsyn. Soloists include HJ Lim, Pablo Sainz Villegas, Miho Saegusa, Catherine Michel, Jeffrey Khaner and Esther Yoo. A World Premiere Harp Concerto by Grammy-nominated and Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning composer Michel Legrand. Single tickets as low as $24 in the Perelman Theater. Season includes a special performance in the Kimmel Center's Verizon Hall with works featuring the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ. A founding resident company of The Kimmel Center for ...

Brake, the road safety charity, is partnering with Autoglass to launch a new national campaign promoting road safety. The free Bosch wipers initiative urges drivers to consider the road safety implications of poor visibility and raises awareness of the essential role windscreen wipers play in allowing drivers to maintain good visibility. The joint activity follows the news that the Department for Transport's road safety publicity budget has been slashed from GBP19m in 2008/09*** to GBP3.9m in 2011/12. As a result, the Government announced it would no longer invest ...

The Park Inn by Radisson Muscat has announced the expansion of its meeting room capacity and facilities. The blue room has been renovated over the summer and can now accommodate approximately 97 to 130 people as opposed to its previous capacity of 35 to 45. In addition, the banqueting menus have been given a facelift, with guests now having a fresh choice of food options suited for meetings and events and new chairs and tables. The hotel in Muscat offers ideal conference facilities, located only 15 kilometres from Muscat airport and just minutes from the city's ...

As success rates in treating childhood cancers have improved, greater emphasis is being placed on quality of life issues following successful treatment. Many cancer treatments can lead to infertility, but there are few methods to preserve the fertility of children who have not entered puberty. Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), which produce sperm cells, are present prior to the start of puberty. In theory, SSCs could be removed via biopsy prior to the start of treatment and then retransplanted following remission; however, there is a potential risk of reintroducing malignant ...

Mycobacterium ulcerans infects the skin and subcutaneous tissues and secretes a lipid toxin, mycolactone, which causes open skin lesions, known as Buruli ulcers. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Caroline Demangel at the Pasteur Institue in Paris investigated the molecular actions of mycolactone and found that it dysregulates the cellular skeleton (cytoskeleton) through activation of a protein known as N-WASP. They found that excessive N-WASP activity caused defects in cell adhesion and migration that impaired the integrity of the ...

Cytoskeletal dysregulation underlies Buruli ulcer formation Mycobacterium ulcerans infects the skin and subcutaneous tissues and secretes a lipid toxin, mycolactone, which causes open skin lesions, known as Buruli ulcers. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Caroline Demangel at the Pasteur Institue in Paris investigated the molecular actions of mycolactone and found that it dysregulates the cellular skeleton (cytoskeleton) through activation of a protein known as N-WASP. They found that excessive N-WASP activity caused defects in ...

Arnhem, 11 March 2013 - A new study by British scientists reveals that motile Escherichia coli isolates demonstrated significant activation of NF-κB signaling suggesting that flagellin plays a key role in up-regulating the host innate defences against urinary tract infections (UTIs). UTIs are commonly caused by Escherichia coli. The host innate defences function to protect the uro-epithelium from microbial assault via a variety of mechanisms. These include NF-κB signalling pathways activated via cell-surface Toll-like-receptors responding to bacterial pathogen ...

Arnhem, 11 March 2013- Multi-peptide vaccination therapy combined with the low-dose steroid drug dexamethasone shows promise in treating chemotherapy-naive castration resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients. The study, which won the third prize for best abstract in oncology at the 28th European Association of Urology Congress held in Milan, Italy from 15 to 19 March, showed the promising benefit of this combination therapy in patients who are chemotherapy-naive or those not yet exposed to specific antigens. "Results of our randomized prospective study suggest that ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. – The first controlled clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of interventional endovascular therapy on the symptoms and progression of multiple sclerosis has found that the intervention, sometimes called the "liberation treatment," which has attracted intense interest in the global MS community, does not improve patient outcomes. In a few cases, the treatment made symptoms worse. University at Buffalo researchers will present their results in an "Emerging Science" poster session March 20 at the annual American Academy of Neurology meeting in San ...

Scientists at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPI-P) in Germany have created a new synthetic hybrid material with a mineral content of almost 90 percent, yet extremely flexible. They imitated the structural elements found in most sea sponges and recreated the sponge spicules using the natural mineral calcium carbonate and a protein of the sponge. Natural minerals are usually very hard and prickly, as fragile as porcelain. Amazingly, the synthetic spicules are superior to their natural counterparts in terms of ...

SAN DIEGO - A series of studies demonstrate improved detection of the second most common form of dementia, providing diagnostic specificity that clears the way for refined clinical trials testing targeted treatments. The new research is being presented by experts from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013. Frontotemporal degeneration, the most common dementia in people under 60, can be hereditary or sporadic in nature and caused by one of two different ...

SAN DIEGO - Telestroke programs substantially improve access to life-saving stroke care, extending coverage to less populated areas in an effort to reduce disparities in stroke care access. A new study by researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, being presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego March 16-23, 2013, found that telemedicine programs in Oregon pushed stroke coverage into previously uncovered, less populated areas and expanded coverage by approximately 40 percent. "Telestroke ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. --- Scientists have discovered a molecular process in the brain triggered by cocaine use that could provide a target for treatments to prevent or reverse addiction to the drug. Reporting in the Journal of Neuroscience, Michigan State University neuroscientist A.J. Robison and colleagues say cocaine alters the nucleus accumbens, the brain's pleasure center that responds to stimuli such as food, sex and drugs. "Understanding what happens molecularly to this brain region during long-term exposure to drugs might give us insight into how addiction occurs," ...