The past few years have seen a sharp uptick in bankruptcy filings across age, economic and cultural lines. Surprisingly, however, the biggest spike comes from people over the age of 65, a demographic that previously had one of the lowest levels of bankruptcy filings. Demos, a New York City-based public policy advocacy and research group, shows that there has been a 26% increase in the past five years alone. A landmark 2010 study performed by the University of Michigan Law School demonstrates the huge rise in elder bankruptcy filings as well as another surprise: the average ...

What may seem like an open and shut case on the surface can have surprising results, especially once all of the facts are presented. Take for instance a recent case in which the defendant was charged with vehicular homicide after he and a co-worker were involved in a car accident resulting in the co-worker's death. Both the defendant, who was driving the work truck, and the co-worker, who was sitting in the passenger seat, had been drinking prior to the accident. The defendant lost control of the vehicle and hit a tree. On the surface, someone might assume that the passenger's ...

Being sent to prison, knowing that for a period of time that one will have to live behind bars, is traumatic in and of itself. If that wasn't bad enough, some inmates suffer further humiliation by being sexually assaulted at the hands of fellow inmates and prison guards. At times, such indignity is not adequately addressed or is ignored by prison officials, leaving an inmate to be a victim of further sexual assaults and rapes. In one instance, an inmate-victim's complaints were ignored, leaving him only one option to escape the assaults perpetrated upon him -- attacking ...

The recent financial meltdown created a housing crisis that has depreciated home values throughout the United States. As a result, millions of homeowners now have underwater mortgages where they owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth. A fiscal nightmare, the problem has acutely affected many couples contemplating divorce. Before the downturn in the housing market, the division of a couple's assets often centered on what was done with the home. Couples often used to argue over who was able to keep the property since it represented stability and the opportunity ...

A recent, small-sample study performed by the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported high rates of employees at both public and private schools who have convictions for sex-related crimes. No one employee group was singled out in the study, and researchers found people with records of inappropriate sexual conduct in all sorts of positions, including teachers, volunteers, aides, support staff and contractors. Of the 15 high-profile cases investigated by the GAO, 11 of those involved abusers who had previously targeted children at least once before. Several ...

While the Social Security Administration (SSA) is a federal agency, the leg work in determining if one is disabled is done at the state level by state workers. They follow the guidelines and procedures set forth by the SSA when determining if an applicant for SSD is disabled. Thus, Michigan SSD applicants will have their applications determined by the Michigan Disability Determination Services workers. To receive Social Security Disability (SSD) benefits, the applicant must be found to be disabled. Your doctor will be asked for information about your medical condition, ...

In 2008, a staggering 159 motorcyclists were killed in North Carolina. Those fallen bikers are not just statistics; they were loved people that families and friends tragically and unexpectedly lost. If someone you love has died in a motorcycle accident, contact a North Carolina motorcycle accident attorney experienced in handling motorcycle accident cases. Horrifically, the biker who died is at fault less than 25 percent of the time, as reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA); some reports indicate the car or truck driver to be at fault ...

M&S Money has revealed that mothers are the biggest influences on people's financial habits. M&S Money surveyed 1000 people to find out about how their family has influenced their finances. The research reveals that 36% say that their mothers have had the most influence on the way they handle their money, compared to 32% who say it is their fathers. Grandparents (3%) and siblings (1%) have little influence while 24% say their family have no influence over their financial habits at all. It seems the people surveyed also follow their own gender as a role model; women ...

Hay Senior Finance has revealed that finance professionals in Essex and East Anglia are enjoying a rise in demand for their business management skills and commercial know-how, according to research from the leading recruiting expert. Two-thirds (67 per cent) of employers say retention of qualified accountants will be a key priority in 2011, with four in 10 (40 per cent) worried they won't be able to hold onto their star players. The research suggests they may have good reason to worry, with two-thirds (67 per cent) of senior finance professionals saying they intend to look ...

The National Trust has revealed it will be backing the public's concern over the future of Britain's forests and is insisting that any change of ownership must protect public access to woodlands as well as their amenity, conservation and cultural value. The Trust has agreed a set of principles which should guide any proposed disposals. These have been sent to Government and the key public bodies involved after consultation with other nature, wildlife and conservation groups. The charity is hoping to publish its views before the expected launch of the Forestry Commission's ...

Hay Senior Finance has revealed that finance professionals in Greater London are enjoying a rise in demand for their business management skills and commercial know-how, according to research from the leading recruiting expert. Two-thirds of employers say retention of qualified accountants will be a key priority in 2011, with four in 10 (40 per cent) worried they won't be able to hold onto their star players. The research suggests they may have good reason to worry, with two-thirds (67 per cent) of senior finance professionals saying they intend to look for a new job in ...

Elegant, Interior Designs, of Ambler, PA, wins the 2011 Meritorious Contractor of the Year Award, in the Residential Exterior Specialty category. Awards are part of an annual competition held by the National Association of the Remolding Industry, (NARI) that showcase members who have demonstrated outstanding work through their remodeling projects. The Contractor of the Year (COTY) awards, is widely considered the premier competition of its kind throughout the remodeling industry. To be considered, a company must be a NARI member and adhere to the NARI strict code of ...

OUFX Trader, creators of the popular Forex Trader Pro system, will be making an important announcement this week regarding the secrets to the Forex market in 2011, according to the company's in-house Forex expert, "Forex Joe" Atkins. Please visit: http://ouforextrader.com/feb-nfp. The company's FREE Non-Farm Payroll Events, a series that has changed the lives of many traders, regularly showcases the latest Forex trading tips and rules of engagement information trading Non-Farm Payroll Event, along with a firsthand look into real-time trades for the lucky few who can ...

UK Caravan holiday expert, Park Resorts, have recruited a new head of accommodation. Straight from the royal grounds of St James, London, comes Stephen Fair, ex housekeeper of Buckingham Palace. With a background in preparing rooms for guests of the highest profile, Fair is bringing his royal pedigree standards to Park Resorts' 39 UK holiday parks. Fair will be training his team to standards which are, literally, fit for a Queen. Park Resorts, the only holiday park company to make up guest beds upon arrival, has further announced that Fair will put his hospitality team ...

Internet marketing specialists Speedie Consultants have today highlighted how their service has taken a new payday loan business from Nil-100,000 applications in a year - proving how their particular blend of online-only techniques can really work. The payday loans company - speed-e-loans.com (which has no affiliation to Speedie Consultants even though there is a similarity of name) - celebrates its first birthday this week. In the past year the website has received over 100,000 payday loan applications as well as having been featured in the national press and radio. ...

Cristallight Software announced today the release of the new version of the iBarcoder - the mac barcode generating software for MacOS X. Since its launch in 2004, the iBarcoder is the one of the most popular barcode generation and printing tools on the market. Cristallight carefully listens to all customers feedbacks and suggestions, so the 3.2.8.update brings improvement of the product functionality, and helps customers to solve even more complex tasks. Enhancing of the QR Code functionality, Apple Address Book integration, online help changes, user interface changes ...

Napa Technology, developer of the WineStation, has identified four key wine consumption trends that point to more robust wine by the glass sales in 2011. Today's consumers' tastes for fine wines and vast selections are returning, but taking a chance on an unknown or more expensive wine can be a risk many consumers are hesitant to make. For restaurants, grocery or retailers meeting the demand requires an investment and management of higher-priced or cult wine selections. In 2011 retailers will have to find cost-effective, innovative ways to satisfy cautious consumers' ...

AMES, Iowa – Scientists have given us a plethora of new materials – all created by combining individual elements under varying temperatures and other conditions. But to tweak an intermetallic compound even more, in order to give it the attributes you desire, you have to go deeper and re-arrange individual atoms. It's a process similar to what bioengineers employ when they add and delete genes to create synthetic organisms, and it was the focus of a group of researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory, when they replaced key atoms in a gadolinium-germanium ...

LA JOLLA, CA – January 31, 2011 –A scientist from The Scripps Research Institute has identified a new role for a natural signaling molecule in preventing blood clot formation. The molecule could become a target for the development of novel and cost-effective treatments for blood clotting diseases such as Hemophilia A. The findings, from a study by Scripps Research Assistant Professor Laurent O. Mosnier, were published in a recent edition of Journal of Biological Chemistry. The study focused on Platelet Factor 4 – a small cytokine (intracellular signaling molecule) released ...

January 31, 2011 (Portland, Ore.) – Obese women may avoid mammograms because of pain and women under 60 may avoid the test because they are too busy, according to a study by Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research published online in the Journal of Women's Health. Funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study was one of the largest to examine why insured women fail to complete mammograms. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, with one in eight developing breast cancer during their lifetimes, and 46,000 dying from it annually. ...

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Hong Kong have discovered that high levels of a particular protein in cancer cells are a reliable indicator that a cancer will spread. By measuring the protein's genetic material in tumors that had been surgically removed from patients, along with measuring the genetic material from surrounding tissue, the researchers could predict at least 90 percent of the time whether a cancer would spread within two years. The findings raise the long term possibilities of new tests to gauge the likelihood that ...

Two separate studies – carried out in Burkina Faso and Mali– have found that combining intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in children (IPTc) with insecticide-treated bednets (ITNs) can substantially reduce the incidence of severe malaria. A third study carried out in The Gambia supported the findings, reporting that IPTc treatment was not only easily administered by village health workers, but could also significantly reduce the incidence of malaria among children. All three studies, published today in the journal PLoS Medicine, will further strengthen the ...

Three randomized controlled trials published in this week's PLoS Medicine show that intermittent preventive treatment of malaria in children adds to the benefit of sleeping under bednets and that this public health intervention is best delivered by community-based, volunteer village health workers. Two randomized controlled trials (with over 3000 children in each study) carried out by a team of researchers led by Diadier Diallo from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK, Amadou Konate from the Centre National de Recherche et de Formation sur le ...

When you think about organs with an important role in reproduction, the liver most likely doesn't spring to mind. But a new report in the February issue of Cell Metabolism, a Cell Press publication, shows that estrogen receptors in the liver are critical for maintaining fertility. What's more, the expression of those receptors is under the control of dietary amino acids, the building blocks of proteins. The findings in mice may have important implications for some forms of infertility and for metabolic changes that come with menopause, the researchers say. "This is ...

After taking a small dose of inorganic nitrate for three days, healthy people consume less oxygen while riding an exercise bike. A new study in the February issue of Cell Metabolism traces that improved performance to increased efficiency of the mitochondria that power our cells. The researchers aren't recommending anyone begin taking inorganic nitrate supplements based on the new findings. Rather, they say that the results may offer one explanation for the well-known health benefits of fruits and vegetables, and leafy green vegetables in particular. "We're talking ...