Planning for a divorce after the holidays The stress of the holiday season, along with the chance for a fresh start at the beginning of the year, makes January a popular time to divorce. Often married couples will put family ahead of personal needs until after the holiday season is over. However, if divorce is in the future, preparing for divorce can begin before the actual filing takes place in January. Planning ahead can make the process easier on everyone and protect your financial assets for the new year. While the steps below are good practice for any time of the ...

The toll of bicycle accidents The Texas Department of Transportation and a nonprofit organization stepped up efforts to educate motorists and bicyclists in the wake of a tragic accident near Amarillo. Two bicyclists riding on a popular bicycling road were killed when a motorist struck them from behind. The driver claimed he was blinded by sunlight. Share the Road! is a nonprofit that was created in 2010 for raising safety awareness for pedestrians. A spokesman for the organization stated that any driver on the frontage road where the accident occurred ought to be ...

Measure 11 and Oregon's Violent Crime Rate We've all heard the saying, "If you can't do the time, don't commit the crime." It captures the sentiment that the tougher the sentence the stronger the disincentive to commit crime. While it may be easy to believe that a relationship exists between crime rates and incarceration, many criminal defense attorneys and others in the criminal justice world question the connection. In the 1980s and mid-1990s the number of violent crimes committed in Oregon dramatically increased. Believing that a lack of deterrents created ...

New York acts to take repeat DWI offenders off the road New York is getting tougher on drunk drivers. Under a new administrative policy announced in September 2012, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles will not issue or renew a driver's license for a person who has incurred five or more DWI convictions throughout a lifetime. Stricter rules will apply to license reinstatement The policy also denies a driver's license to anyone with three or more DWI convictions over a 25-year period plus another serious motor vehicle offense. When a driver with three or more ...

Reducing car accidents: Legal restrictions for safer teen driving In August 2008 months of work by Connecticut's Teen Driving Task Force culminated when a new teen driving law took effect. Over four years later, Connecticut has come out near the top in two national studies on teen driving safety. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety and the Governors Highway Safety Association found an alarming 11 percent increase nationwide in traffic deaths involving 16- and 17-year-old drivers. However, teen driver deaths in Connecticut have gone down by 91 percent over the past ...

How to keep your business secrets safe All companies have information that they need to protect -- and in some cases, the information is actually so vital that they it is the lifeblood of the company. If this information is disclosed, the company's very future may be on the line. The following are some strategies to help ensure that your business secrets remain a secret. Non-disclosure agreements A non-disclosure agreement is a contract signed by employees, which states that they are not allowed to disclose your company secrets without permission. The agreement ...

As the patent battle rages on, Apple and Samsung expand their claims The ongoing legal battle between Apple and Samsung expanded its scope even further recently after a federal judge allowed Samsung to add the newly released iPhone 5 to the list of products alleged to have infringed on its patents. The court also ruled that Apple could amend its list of alleged patent infringements by Samsung to include the Jelly Bean operating system, along with newer Samsung products such as the U.S. version of the Galaxy S III and Galaxy Note 10.1, PC World reported recently. According ...

Social media use has pitfalls for divorcing North Carolinians North Carolina couples who are going through divorce may experience a variety of emotions and feel the need to vent. Venting over coffee or a beer with a friend is one thing, but sharing feelings with the world through electronic media is another, and can lead to trouble. Social media communications are public According to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, divorce attorneys have seen a sharp rise in the use of evidence from social networking sites over the past few years. Whatever is posted ...

The importance of estate planning through the years Thinking about what happens after death, disability or other tragedies is usually the last thing that a person wants to think about. However, if you do not plan for these events, you may leave your family or loved ones to decide such tough issues when they are in a stressful position. While estate planning is not the most appetizing thought, taking the time to form a cohesive plan can save your family and loved ones a lot of time in the future, regardless of which stage of life you are in. Your single years If ...

Recovering After a Car Accident People injured in car accidents have options for recovery. Injuries and even deaths often result from car crashes and they affect the everyday life of the injured and their families. Death always has a devastating impact, but injuries can affect how or whether a person can work, their personalities and many other areas of people's lives. A recent car crash in southeast Houston took one man's life and seriously injured another man. According to myfoxhouston.com, the accident occurred at 2:40 in the morning and the men were only 23-years-old. ...

Budgeting to meet children's needs after divorce One of the most difficult challenges divorcing parents in Nevada may face is how to manage finances so that children are adequately provided for after their parents split. Even determining custody of children must be done with an eye to allocating the parents' resources fairly so that the children's interests are protected. The importance of budgeting The court will want to see a budget from each parent, with attention to meeting the financial needs of the children. Details are necessary in order to come up with ...

Sepsis tops list of Nursing Home Complaint Center abuse warning signs The Nursing Home Complaint Center, an organization of advocates for senior citizens that aids in the report of elder abuse in nursing homes, is urging loved ones to watch for signs of abuse or neglect. The group specifically notes that sepsis, a very dangerous infection that can lead to death in some seniors, can be a sign of nursing home abuse and neglect. Sepsis is a dangerous complication from an infection that, according to experts with Mayo Clinic, can be life-threatening. Sepsis is particularly ...

Changing your estate plan in Ohio Estate planning is often a complicated issue filled with details and possibilities that are difficult to foresee. An estate plan should be reviewed regularly to ensure that it is accurate and up to date. It is also important to note that as a person's life changes, so should their estate plan. Importance of updating an estate plan Estate plans tell the court system how to deal with all of a person's assets and belongings once his or her time has passed. These assets are often extremely important to friends and family members, and ...

Texts Can Be Problematic for Divorcing Couples Illinois couples who are involved in contentious divorce proceedings need to be careful about what they do and say, so as not to provide the opposing party with ammunition to use against them. That holds for electronic media communications, too, such as Facebook and e-mail, as many people realize. What divorcing spouses may not realize is that their text messages can also be a gold mine of information, usable in court. A private investigator for Pinkerton explained that text messages are stored in cell phones, whose memory ...

Recent Legislation in New Jersey May Slow Soaring Foreclosure Rates No homeowner wants to receive a letter in the mail warning of an upcoming foreclosure. Unfortunately, more and more homeowners in New Jersey are receiving these notifications. According to RealtyTrac, a firm that follows foreclosure rates nationwide, New Jersey saw a 66 percent increase in foreclosures this year. Although government officials have limited ability to stop foreclosures, a new piece of legislation should at least help ensure homeowners are treated fairly. The new law, called the Foreclosure ...

California docs on hook for injuries caused by ailing elderly patients? A recent wrongful death case brought in a Los Angeles courtroom looks to clarify what - if any - responsibility that physicians treating elderly patients with neurological deficits caused by such conditions as dementia or Alzheimer's have for torts committed by those patients. The potentially landmark case arises from a 2010 motor vehicle accident where an octogenarian dementia patient drove into oncoming traffic with catastrophic results. The accident The spring 2010 day of the accident began ...

Alimony Reform May Be on the Horizon in New Jersey Recent attempts at alimony reform in several other states have prompted advocates for alimony reform in New Jersey to renew efforts at introducing legislation that would limit the ability of judges to award lifetime alimony. New Jersey is one of the few states in the nation that allow judges to award lifetime alimony, even past retirement age, for marriages that last as little as 10 years. Under current New Jersey law, judges use several factors to establish alimony, including the length of the marriage, the ability ...

Police search of Salt Lake City home yields four pounds of meth Two Salt Lake City men were arrested recently after police discovered four pounds of methamphetamine in one man's home and large amounts of cash in both homes, the Salt Lake Tribune reported. The first man was arrested after officers searched his home and reportedly found the drugs in a spare bedroom. The police say the man had admitted to having the drugs and claimed that he had been paid by the second man to hold them. Along with the drugs, the charges indicate that police discovered $9,490 in cash at ...

Trying to keep Florida pedestrians safe Floridians may not consider walking a dangerous activity. However, nearly 500 pedestrians died in traffic accidents in Florida in 2010, the most recent year data is available, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. That's second only to New York among the states, and almost twice the national average per state. Pedestrian fatality numbers are up Nationally, pedestrian deaths increased by 4 percent from 2009 to 2010, NHTSA data shows. The NHTSA report notes 13 percent of traffic fatalities involved ...

North Carolina DWI arrests increase over the holidays Drinking and driving is a big concern because of the extensive damage it causes. In order maintain safety on the roads, police departments step up patrols over the holiday season--a time when more people are tempted to drink and drive. However, those who may be inclined to tempt fate should know a DWI charge does have significant legal and non-legal repercussions. Increases over the holiday season Recently, North Carolina has worked to follow their new Booze It & Lose It campaign. This campaign basically ...

US Supreme Court: Drug-sniffing dogs and the 4th Amendment Recently, two men from Illinois were pulled over while driving in South Dakota. Although the two were stopped by a police officer due to an unrelated traffic violation, a drug-sniffing dog was brought to the side of the vehicle. A subsequent search of the car reportedly uncovered 62 pounds of marijuana. The two men are now facing felony drug possession charges, for possession of cocaine, over 10 pounds of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. While the U.S. Supreme Court has previously held that a dog sniffing ...

Today, in the city of Raleigh, J.D. Edwards announced immediate availability of his long-awaited fantasy novel, Brander, enabling his fans to instantly purchase this sensational new work of fiction. Positive World-Wide Acclaim "Brander is a very easy book to read, clear and comprehensible. You start turning the pages and you immediately plunge into this new world, full of fantastic creatures and magic. It's hard to stop, because you always want to know what happens next." - Marine S., Lyon, France "Hold on Tight! A fast flowing novel that will enchant ...

Bencardino Excavating (www.bencardino.com), a full-service excavation company located in Bucks County, Pa. and owned by Louis A. Bencardino, was hired by Philadelphia-based general contractor Domus to handle demolition and renovation work on the Williams Way Housing Project in Center City. Specifically, Bencardino Excavating will handle demolition and excavation site work which includes undercutting the existing material, installing sanitary storm and water for the building and all of the foundation excavation. A collaborative venture between Spruce Street Senior ...

GiftsforCoins.com based in Los Angeles, CA is pleased to announce the launch of their new web site that sells all types of gifts and accepts Bitcoins as payment. The site has a vision of ONLY accepting bitcoins as payment. "No U.S. Dollars accepted here", says general partner Riley Alexander. "We want to help strengthen the bitcoin economy by providing a place for customers to spend their bitcoins. We felt there just was not enough online bitcoin stores out there and we hope we are the first of many to come." For those not aware, BitCoins or BTC, ...

Jeff Gomez, author of four previously published novels and the non-fiction Print is Dead: Books in Our Digital Age, has just released Beside Myself, an interactive novel for the iPad. Now available worldwide on the iTunes App Store and released independently by the author, the app makes use of the iPad's features and functionality by allowing the novel's chapters to be either shuffled or arranged like a playlist. The reader can also choose to follow one narrator at a time throughout the story (with the ability to read the story again from the point of view of a different ...