In New Jersey, the total number of bankruptcy filings increased over 25 percent in the year that ended on June 30. This increase exceeded the national average of 20.4 percent. The national figures included 1.51 million consumer bankruptcy filings and 59,608 business filings. Extent of Business Bankruptcy Filings These figures are not surprising, given the tough economy of the last few years. What is surprising, however, is that the increase in bankruptcy filings has not necessarily translated into more work for law firms that handle Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganizations ...

Criminalizing "spice" is the latest aggressive agenda of many state and local jurisdictions, including Utah. The spice found in a common household kitchen cabinet is not the target, but a mixture of herbs and chemical ingredients (labeled as "spice") that creates effects similar to marijuana when smoked. Regardless of uncertainty over any long-term health implications of smoking spice and the likely practical effects of a ban, law makers and law enforcement officials across the nation are jumping on board and passing regulations to curtail its use. A total of 11 states ...

According to the Texas Department of Transportation, in 2009 nearly 60,000 car accidents seriously injured more than 80,000 people on Texas roads. Although this marks a 5 percent decrease from the prior year, this is still far too many people with severe and sometimes life-altering injuries. For those who have suffered injury or serious property damage in one of these auto accidents, an insurance company's initial settlement offer may be tempting. After all, injured parties often need immediate access to funds in order to pay medical bills, vehicle repair costs, or to ...

For years, truckers have tried to make light of their efforts to stay awake while hauling those heavy loads on such tight schedules. Dave Dudley's 1963 hit, "Six Days On The Road," is one example. The song mentions truck drivers using amphetamines to stay awake ("I'm taking little white pills and my eyes are open wide") and falsifying load limits and log books ("I'm a little overweight and my log book's way behind"). Truck drivers are human and there's no need to demonize them. But ultimately, the fatigue drivers suffer can cause terrible truck accidents with serious ...

The Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates there were more than 1.4 million DUI arrests nationwide in 2003. According to the 2010 Illinois DUI Fact Book, there were more than 48,000 in-state arrests for driving under the influence (DUI) in 2008. A driver is considered legally under the influence in Illinois if he or she has a blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 or more, has used any illegal substance or is impaired by medication. Drivers with a BAC between .05 and .08 may also be convicted of DUI if they are impaired. With limited exception for religious ceremonies ...

According to the American Bankruptcy Institute, over 400,000 people filed for bankruptcy in the second quarter of 2010. This is on top of the over 373,000 people that filed in the first quarter of the year. These numbers lead experts to predict that 2010 will have the largest number of bankruptcy filings since 2005. Bankruptcy is the first step for many people to get out from under overwhelming debt. But once the bankruptcy process is complete, consumers are forced to consider another major step in rebuilding their financial lives -- reestablishing credit. While finding ...

An investigation by the USA Today has revealed over 200 cases of prosecutorial misconduct. Federal prosecutors were found to have violated laws and imprisoned innocent people. Now, guilty citizens are being released on technicalities and taxpayers are footing the bill. The scathing report indicates the Department of Justice prosecutors concealed evidence, violated ethical rules, lied in court to juries and judges, and broke plea bargains made with defendants. No Accountability Despite the widespread abuse of prosecutor power, accountability seems to be rare. Just ...

DePuy Orthopaedics, Inc., recently recalled two hip aid systems citing high early failure rates. The business, a Johnson & Johnson Company division, sold about 93,000 units globally and found more people than expected suffered pain severe enough to require additional surgery. The global recall comes in the wake of a recent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warning letter issued to the company for selling hip and other joint products without the agency's approval, based on its sale of other, unrelated products. According to the Associated Press, this is the 11th Johnson ...

Superbreak, the short break tour operator, has launched a range of hotel and ticket packages for Take That's Manchester and Wembley Arena shows. The Yorkshire based tour operator reported a surge of enquiries into its call centre for Take That event packages after tickets went on general sale last week. In response to this demand, Superbreak has secured a number of standing Take That tickets for both the Wembley Arena and City of Manchester Stadium concerts and has partnered with a selection of hotels to offer customers the chance to see all five members perform together ...

The National Trust has announced it is kick-starting a six-month nationwide project to find out if the UK public is losing touch with the outdoors. The launch of the Trust's Outdoor Nation initiative follows a series of high-profile reports and academic studies that have all shown a growing disconnection between people and the natural environment. Recent reports have shown, for example, that 64 per cent of children play outside less than once a week and the distance children stray from their homes has decreased by 90 per cent since the 1970s*. Meanwhile, some 26 per ...

Kuoni is bringing to life the wonders of Egypt, Dubai, Morocco and Arabia with its latest holiday brochure. Valid from January 2011 to March 2012, it provides a snapshot of all that is worth seeing and experiencing in this richly historical region. The new brochure gives holiday makers the chance to take an Egypt holiday and soar over Abu Simbel's temples by light aircraft, barter in Morocco's bustling souks, try the world's fastest roller coaster in Abu Dhabi, follow Oman's Frankincense Trail, marvel at Libya's finest preserved Roman city and Petra's 2,000-year-old ...

NH Hotels' Olomouc Congress hotel in Olomouc, Moravia was recently voted the Czech Republic's "Building of the Year" by a prestigious jury that included the Czech Ministry for Industry and Trade, The Foundation for Architecture and Building Development, the National Alliance of Entrepreneurs and the magazine "Economy and Stavitel". The recently built four-star hotel's avant-garde design, the impact of the hotel on the local area and its ambitious environmental sustainability plan all helped to persuade the jury to vote unanimously for the NH Olomouc Congress in the eighteenth ...

etyres, the UK's leading online tyre retailer, has released a short online video showing motorists how changing a tyre is so easy even a child can do it. Most motorists dread the idea of getting a puncture and being stranded at the roadside waiting for a breakdown truck.   Now etyres has released a short online video which shows drivers how they can fit their spare wheel in a matter of minutes and be back on the road in no time. And to demonstrate just how easy it is, the entire procedure is filmed being carried out by 10-year-old William Stepney. Tony Bowman, ...

Albertan businessman and philanthropist Jesse Willms has donated $1,000 to the Greater Edmonton Poppy Fund in order to help out local veterans and their families when they are facing hard times. "Remembrance Day is just around the corner," Willms said. "Now is the time to do what we can to let local veterans know that we have not forgotten the sacrifices they have made for our country. We owe them a huge debt, and it is our duty to help them in their time of need." Click here to watch the Jesse Willms Poppyfund.ca video. The Greater Edmonton Poppy Fund is run ...

Citizens of the United States had some interesting decisions to make this week as they headed to the polls for the 2010 mid-term elections. On the minds of millions as they posted their ballets was the nation's current stance towards the legalities of playing poker online. MyPokerBasics.com has been closely following the campaigns of the United States' newly elected and re-elected officials to determine the potential for legalization of online poker in some parts of the US. In short, there is good news and bad news for supporters of legal online poker. The Poker Players ...

New book, based on 21 developmental areas, reveals best practices to capitalize on mistakes and then move on, refuse routine focus on failure and disappointment, and to encourage the pursuit of our entitlement to live up to our absolute best each day. Available now in all bookstores everywhere! "You can change your future by not making the mistake of living in the past with all of its setbacks and misfortunes, and regain four years of life through triumph, self transformation, and a personal pursuit of happiness designed to help you live your absolute best with each ...

Ringtones have been known not only to work as the call identifiers, but, they also provide a source of entertainment for the mobile phone users. However, when downloading from the World Wide Web, there are certain issues that should be kept in mind. One of the concerns is that the file type information according to the mobile phone models for which the free ringtones are being searched for should be known. After all it does not make sense investing time and energy in finding the ringtones which cannot be played on the mobile set. Thus the information about the file types ...

A.Hak Industrial Services BV today announces that it purchased the company activities of InTANK, a subsidiary of Berkeley Springs Instruments of Berkeley Springs, WV. The acquisition concerns all activities of InTANK, including all patents, trademarks and technology rights. InTANK specializes in the development and application of robotic systems for the in-service inspection and cleaning of above ground storage tanks for the oil & gas, petrochemical and power generation industries. A.Hak Industrial Services BV is a member of the A.Hakpark BV Group with headquarters ...

John Rosatti recently featured his new 162 Mega Yacht "Remember When", built by Christensen Yachts, at this year's 2010 Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show. The 51st Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show was held October 28-November 1, 2010 with hundreds of thousands of boating enthusiasts and marine industry professionals in attendance. John Rosatti launched his newest Mega Yacht earlier this year from the Christensen boat yard located in Vancouver. "Remember When" then cruised down the West Coast, through Mexico, Costa Rica, and the Galapagos Islands, on through ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich.---A table-top gamma-ray detector created at the University of Michigan can not only identify the presence of dangerous nuclear materials, but can pinpoint and show their exact location and type, unlike conventional detectors. "Other gamma ray detectors can tell you perhaps that nuclear materials are near a building, but with our detector, you can know the materials are in room A, or room B, for example," said Zhong He, a professor in the Department of Nuclear Engineering and Radiological Sciences. "This is the first instrument for this purpose that ...

Youth who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ) are vulnerable to bullying, harassment, compromised achievement, and emotional and behavioral health problems. A national survey of LGBTQ youth in secondary schools found that nearly all of them heard homophobic remarks in school, and three-quarters heard such remarks often. Moreover, 40 percent had been physically harassed and 20 percent had been physically assaulted. A new Social Policy Report from SRCD on Safe Schools Policy for LGBTQ Students provides an overview of the research ...

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Researchers at Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.org/) have found a significant difference in cancer progression and death in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) patients who had sufficient vitamin D (http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/vitamin-d/NS_patient-vitamind) levels in their blood compared to those who didn't. VIDEO ALERT: Additional audio and video resources, including excerpts from an interview with Dr. Tait Shanafelt, are available on the Mayo Clinic News Blog (http://newsblog.mayoclinic.org/2010/11/03/mayo-clinic-finds-insufficient-vitamin-d-levels-in-cll-patients-linked-to-cancer-progression-and-death/). In ...

LA JOLLA, CA, November 3, 2010 – For Immediate Release – As babies grow, their brain cells develop from a pool of stem cells—some stem cells continuously divide, replenishing the pool, whereas others morph into mature functioning nerve cells. Now researchers at The Scripps Research Institute have shown that as the newly formed nerve cells start firing electrical signals, this activity slows down stem cell division, emptying out the stem cell pool in favor of nerve cell formation. The study, published in the November 4 issue of the journal Neuron, shows that brain activity ...

Telomerase is an enzyme that maintains the DNA at the ends of our chromosomes, known as telomeres. In the absence of telomerase activity, every time our cells divide, our telomeres get shorter. This is part of the natural aging process, as most cells in the human body do not have much active telomerase. Eventually, these DNA-containing telomeres, which act as protective caps at the ends of chromosomes, become so short that the cells die. But in some cells, such as cancer cells, telomerase, which is composed of RNA and proteins, is highly active and adds telomere DNA, ...

By applying electrical current to the brain, researchers reporting online on November 4 in Current Biology, a Cell Press publication, have shown that they could enhance a person's mathematical performance for up to 6 months without influencing their other cognitive functions. The findings may lead to treatments for the estimated 20 percent of the population with moderate to severe numerical disabilities (for example, dyscalculia) and for those who lose their skill with numbers as a result of stroke or degenerative disease, according to the researchers. "I am certainly ...