Respond Intelligently to Debt Collector Harassment Each year, millions of Americans find themselves in significant debt. Too often, debt brings with it not only constant worry about bills and finances, but also harassing phone calls from unscrupulous bill collectors. Fortunately, consumers do have rights and there are some basic steps people can take to protect themselves from creditor harassment. Make a Plan If debt collectors begin making harassing phone calls to your home, it is important to come up with a plan on how to address them. Designate one person in ...

How Oklahoma courts determine child custody If you are an Oklahoma parent going through a divorce, you may be worried about whether you or your spouse (or neither) is going to get custody of your child. The answer to this question is quite complex, as it involves a consideration of many factors. Like in many other states, Oklahoma courts make child custody decisions based on what it believes are in the "best interests of the child." There is no simple definition of this term, as it generally refers to the analysis that courts make when deciding what types ...

Estate Planning Issues for Same-Sex Couples in Maryland Many states across the U.S. have brought same-sex marriage to a vote in recent elections, bringing to light the plight of unmarried same-sex couples who nonetheless consider themselves a cohesive family. Maryland recently voted to recognize same-sex marriage, becoming the first state in the union to vote for same-sex marriage. While the issues surrounding same-sex marriage are myriad, one complication is estate planning. Many of the protections in place for married couples are not available to same-sex couples. ...

Feds Push for Mandatory Ignition Interlocks in All Maryland DUI Cases Maryland transportation safety advocates and other groups that favor tougher intoxicated driving laws may soon have a new tool in their arsenal: federal funding for states that require ignition interlock devices for all drivers convicted of driving under the influence -- even first-time offenders. Current Ignition Interlock Law in Maryland Under current Maryland law, ignition interlock devices are mandatory for drivers convicted of a second or subsequent DUI offense, but they generally are not ...

Football Revealing the Consequences of Youth Head Injuries Football is widely considered the most popular sport in America. From the Super Bowl to Friday Night Lights, football plays a large role for many families and communities. Youth football is as popular as ever; USA Football estimates almost 3 million kids under age 14 play tackle football. That number hasn't dropped in the last half-dozen years. But as a contact-heavy sport, legitimate concerns exist regarding brain injuries caused by tackling. The science on brain injuries and their effects have greatly increased ...

Dog Bites and Liability in Massachusetts Animal control officers in Dennis, Massachusetts, reported an unprecedented uptick in dog bites and other animal attacks recently. Members of the Cape Cod community suffered 13 animal bites in just two months in the summer of 2012, with nine occurring in July alone, Wicked Local Dennis reported. A veteran animal control officer said she had never before witnessed so many bites in such a short period. Preventing Dog Bites The primary responsibility for preventing dog bites and other animal attacks lies with the person who ...

Community efforts, FMCSA regulations help mitigate truck crashes Commercial vehicles are probably the most dangerous vehicles traversing the roadways today. An 18-wheeler can carry a maximum weight of 80,000 fully loaded. It's no wonder communities and policing authorities are cracking down on commercial truck drivers in order to prevent unnecessary truck accidents. Community efforts Community efforts all across the nation have been launched to help improve truck safety and mitigate injuries and fatalities caused by these massive vehicles. Just last month, Operation ...

All eyes on Texas 130 -- will risks materialize at 85 mph? The Texas Department of Transportation recently opened a new stretch of highway connecting San Antonio and Austin. With a speed limit of 85 miles per hour, the new road has the distinction of having the highest posted speed limit of any road in the United States. Built to alleviate traffic congestion between Austin and San Antonio, the 41-mile stretch of Texas 130 has a toll of around 15 cents per mile. It is the state's first public-private toll road, and toll proceeds will be shared between the state and ...

Prominent Massachusetts doctor charged with DUI Allegations of driving under the influence (DUI), also known as operating under the influence or OUI, can happen to anyone. Just recently, a prominent physician was accused of a DUI violation when leaving a local grocery store at 8:30 in the morning. The doctor has a reputation for saving lives and was honored with a "Doctor of the Year" award in 2009. Dr. Kristin Howard was charged after she was involved in an accident when leaving the store. The doctor pled not guilty and is fighting the charges. An OUI ...

Custody and relocation: Looking at the best interests of the child It's difficult enough for children to adjust to life after their parents divorce. After the separation, children now have two households they live in or visit. In ideal circumstances, parents live close by each other so their children don't have to travel far to visit each of them. In some cases, however, it becomes difficult for children when one parent wishes to relocate far away from the other parent. Family law courts recognize the potential detriment this has on children. Therefore, strict rules ...

Potential Benefits of Choosing to Be Taxed as an S-Corp S-Corporations, under the right circumstances, can offer significant tax savings to a business entity. An eligible domestic business entity -- usually a corporation or limited liability company -- elects to be taxed under the S Chapter of the Internal Revenue Code by filing Form 2553 to the IRS. Choosing to be taxed as an S-Corp also requires experienced legal and financial help. Below are just a few considerations on the pros and cons of deciding to be taxed as an S-Corp. Double Taxation Like LLCs, the ...

Women in New Jersey at higher risk of medical debt Debt presents a scary situation for both men and women. Women, however, find themselves at a unique risk when it comes to medical debt. Because of this debt, considering bankruptcy as an option can often turn out to be a positive decision, and there is no shame in getting help. Why women? Women are proven to struggle more with medical debt than men, but why is that the case? A report by the Commonwealth Fund found that 26 percent of women in the United States had trouble paying their medical bills in 2009, indicating ...

Divorce rate on the rise for those over 50 Recent celebrity divorces -- such as the split between Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman, after 30 years of marriage -- have once again focused attention on the increasing number of so-called gray divorces in the United States. The term "gray divorce" is used to refer to splits between couples over 50 years of age. In the past few years, the number of gray divorcesin the U.S. has increased dramatically. In 2009, one out of every four married people over 50 years of age got divorced, amounting to over 600,000 people ...

When you go to the Plumbers Sacramento CA website, you can find information about their residential plumbing services very easily by proceeding to their residential plumbing service page. They recently added this page to their website to provide customers with more information about their residential plumbing services. When you need to find Plumbers in Sacramento CA, this page can be very handy. Below, you will find more information about this page and some of the details that it provides to customers. Plumbing services for clogged drains The residential plumbing ...

With a jump in customer satisfaction ratings from 4 stars to 5 stars, Fox Plumbing & Heating has won a third straight CMUS Talk of the Town Customer Satisfaction Award in the Plumbing Contractors category. The Talk of the Town Awards, presented by Talk of the Town News, Customer Care News magazine and Celebration Media U.S. (CMUS), honor companies and professionals that provide excellent customer service as reported by their customers through no-cost, user-review websites, blogs, social networks, business rating services, and other honors and accolades. This data ...

Affordable Technology Foundation is taking the tech support industry and turning it on its head. No longer will you need deep pockets to get quality tech support. Affordable Technology Foundation is using a tiered income based system to "award" people with free tech support products and services, and the best part about this is the program is funded by the tech industry itself. It's a win win situation for everybody involved. Today's society relies more and more on computers, the internet and technology related items for their everyday activities. Enter Tamika, ...

Fabulously Wed (http://www.fabulouslywed.com), a Los Angeles based wedding planning and design firm, responds to their clients by offering an all-inclusive wedding and design service, providing engaged couples the chance to create the wedding of their dreams. Tami Briggs, CEO and Lead Designer, has personally developed this unique service which includes wedding planning, conceptualization, stationery, floral design and event design installation. What makes this experience unique is that not only do brides receive essential one-on-one planning services, but they also have ...

GraceBellairs are pleased to announce that they will be working on Beyond the Bar's latest independent film "The Renata Road". It was originally produced as a short film in 2011 and described by The Times as, "a beautifully crafted, tour de force of emotion". It will now become a full feature length film directed by Ed Greenberg and starring CJ de Mooi (Eggheads). The film is a Psychological Enigma, a thriller unlike anything you have experienced before. It will truly be Independent Cinema at its very best. Looking for peace, solitude and escape ...

Classic Memories, a creative e-commerce company, creates custom DVD Slideshows and Photo Books from their customer's photographs, including prints, digital, and 35mm slides. All orders are easily processed online through their website. Classic Memories will do the work for you. Three packages are available for each of their products. Each package varies in sophistication and price. Their products are professionally produced, carefully packaged, competitively priced, and ordered online. The company was established by two Westchester New York residents. Their initial interest ...

Michael Malone takes many forms on stage. His intense yet worried persona makes him consistently a crowd favorite. He stands out from his peers with his rubber face, energy, sarcasm and wildy imaginative views on life experiences. Malone has performed in over 20 states, he has been featured on the Bob and Tom Radio Show, XM Satelitte Radio and performed for our U.S. Troops. Malone loves kids and is okay with the idea of playing birthday parties and dressing like a funny clown or favorite cartoon character of the childs choice. Michael also enjoys jogging, sometimes ...

The glorious days of summer rafting trips have come to an end, and most people probably think the work of river outfitters is done. The rafts are pulled from the river, locked up through winter, and pulled out again in spring. That would make life pretty easy for river outfitters, because now is actually when some of the hardest work begins. Whitewater trips can be tough on rafts and equipment. The rugged lifestyle makes periodic inspections and repairs a necessity. When the rafting season ends every inch of equipment gets a thorough going-over, from water purification ...

FunStream wanted to check if Christmas is a favourable time for making online business in the UK. To see how much the British will spend on the Christmas holidays in the face of financially harsh times, we administered a survey among 200 people from around the UK asking them to share with us their plans for Christmas. Then we drew some conclusions if these answers outline any tendencies related to online business. Surprising as it may sound, most of the British intend to have the time of their life this year again, never mind the general financial gloom, or perhaps ...

Shingen Kitamura, a clever and prominent Japanese cabinet minister, is suspected by New Scotland Yard of knifing a Swedish girl to death in London's opulent West End. Kitamura leaves London for Tokyo soon after the girl's murder and James Steiner, a highly-ranked martial arts exponent, is sent to bring him in. Andrew Rohm, a friend of Kitamura's and doing life for the murder of four South African government ministers, escapes from Pollsmoor high-security prison near Cape Town and flees to London. He is seen by Steiner's girlfriend and Steiner was the one responsible for ...

The New England Franchise Association (NEFA), the trade organization for franchisors and franchisees in the region, has announced its new board of directors. The new board includes both franchisors and those who serve the franchise community. Board members include Bruce Wildes, Acadia Business Advisors, LLC, Cumberland, ME; Chuck Lynch, MaidPro, Boston, MA; Donato Dandreo, Compete Now, Boston, MA; Evan Hackel, Ingage Consulting, Woburn, MA; Gina Weinstock, G. T. Reilly & Company, Milton, MA; Kevin Dubois, Lapels Dry Cleaning, Hanover, MA; Kim Woods, Franchise Solutions, ...

Research by Southern Cross University in Queensland, Australia examined methane seepage from fracking operations conducted in Australian gas fields. The research indicated that there was a much higher level of methane in the air above the Tara gas field, suggesting that there were widespread natural gas leaks as a result of changes in the soil structure caused by fracking. Those changes in the soil allow the escape of methane into the air in the vicinity of gas operations. In some areas of the TARA field, methane levels were three times the background level. Researchers ...