The Insurance Information Institute's (III) president and economist, Robert P. Hartwig, indicated in a presentation given last week that the average price paid by Americans for auto coverage has been increasing steadily for the past few years, resulting in an overall hike of more than 10 percent when compared with the 2007 average. According to Hartwig, the hardening of the market that was ushered in by the beginning of the "Great Recession" has made finding low cost auto insurance policies significantly more difficult for consumers, and the gradual increase is expected ...

Shortly after celebrating the one year anniversary of its flagship store, Cloggs.co.uk has been nominated for an award for Best Specialist Etailer in this year's Drapers awards. The nomination is due to Cloggs.co.uk's strong position as one of the leading online fashion footwear retailers. The Drapers Etail awards, now in their third year, are focused on rewarding those companies who have adapted to the dynamic changes that have occurred in e-Commerce over the past year. Two new categories have been introduced this year, including Best Use of Social Media; these additional ...

DJ Ownbey is one of the highest ranked and rated psychics on Liveperson. He is the former radio host of "Star Talk" and "DJ's Advice." He has been a valued guest on numerous radio and television shows. Currently, Love Psychic DJ Ownbey is available for interviews with radio, TV, and print. He is also a writer that is interested in doing a daily column for spiritual, metaphysical, and/or psychic topics. If you are interested in setting up interviews or contacting him his contact information is: Love Psychic DJ Ownbey (216) 741-0123 www.love-psychic-usa.com ...

Penalties Double under New Law On October 31, 2010, a new drunk driving category took effect in Michigan for first time offenders with high blood alcohol content (BAC) readings. Known as the "High Alcohol Enhanced Penalty Law," or more commonly as "Super DUI," the new category applies to those with a BAC of 0.17 or greater. The penalties for a Super DUI are twice as severe as they are for standard DUIs. These penalties include: - Up to a maximum of 180 days in jail - One year license suspension - 45 day hard license suspension (i.e. no driving) - Up to $700 in ...

Number of Overnights for Support Adjustment Reduced Florida child support laws underwent several significant changes in 2010. One of these changes may be of special interest to fathers, as it may help ease their financial burdens. Under the new law, parents who have less overall time with their children but who have at least 20 percent of the overnight visits may be entitled to a reduction in child support payments. The adjustment is based on a sliding scale set by statute. Prior to the change in the law, the parent had to have at least 40 percent of the overnights ...

Thinking of scheduling that hip replacement next summer? Based on two recent studies, you might want to have the surgery done in the spring or fall instead, when your chances of medication errors, hospital born infections and other preventable medical errors are lower. The July Effect Every July, a new batch of first year medical residents walks through the doors of academic hospitals around the country. And every July, the rate of medication errors in these same institutions rises exponentially, giving rise to what has been dubbed "the July effect." A study recently ...

The Florida Court of Appeals in, Marion v. City of Boca Raton, recently reversed the lower court's judgment and is now allowing the plaintiff to proceed with a cause of action for negligence against the city of Boca Raton for failing to repair a traffic light that resulted in a vehicle accident. The decision, handed down last month, is good news for Boca Raton drivers. The Facts of the Case Elizabeth Marion was driving westbound on Glades Road when she approached the intersection of Glades Road and Renaissance Way; a major intersection in Boca Raton. The traffic control ...

Every day, in a variety of ways, we use products that, whether we realize it or not, add fragrance to our lives. From laundry detergent and cleaning supplies to lotions and deodorants, fragrances are everywhere. Because scented products are so much a part of our daily lives, most all of us assume that they are safe. A recent study by the University of Washington may prove that assumption false. Analyzing an array of common air fresheners, laundry products, personal care products and cleaners, the study found many of the chemicals emitted by these products may be considered ...

An old adage says that a picture is worth a thousand words. In the age of social media sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, pictures can be worth much more than that. If you are involved in a family-related legal dispute like a divorce or child custody battle, pictures can change your life. They can make the difference between victory and defeat, between a generous property settlement and a pittance, between having sole custody of your children and only getting to visit with them once a week. Social media has given attorneys around the country an unexpected windfall ...

Custody Issues with the Overparent A forthcoming article from the UC Davis Law Review discusses the topic of "overparenting" and how this obsessive behavior is on the verge of becoming required by courts as a demonstration of being a "good" parent during a divorce. As the article notes, the problems with some forms of parenting behavior being formalized in law is that it is far from clear that much of this behavior is in fact beneficial for the child. Cell Phones and the Internet Cell Phones and the internet provide parents with the ability to monitor and ...

Study Supports Disclosure of Errors by Medical Professionals A recent study of a major American university health care system has revealed that disclosure of errors to patients does not increase liability costs. The study, published in the August 17, 2010, issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, considered 12 years of data from the University of Michigan Health System. Researchers found that average monthly liability costs decreased and resolution times became shorter after UMHS implemented a medical error disclosure program in 2001. Obviously, a frank and expedient ...

A Spate of Recent Gas Explosions Concern Homeowners Across the Country According to data released by the New York Times, in the past five years alone nearly 70 people have been killed and hundreds others injured in natural gas-related explosions. That number includes the more than 50 injuries and seven fatalities resulting from a late-September blast in San Bruno, California. Less than a week later, a similar explosion in Richfield, Minnesota, destroyed one home and damaged others close by. Amazingly, there were no injuries or deaths in the Minnesota explosion, but property ...

Can Governor-Elect Jerry Brown Spark Job Creation? "It's the economy stupid," famously exclaimed by then-presidential hopeful Bill Clinton, seemed to be the rallying cry for most of the nation this last election cycle. With an economy in recession and a stagnate jobless rate throughout the country, many Americans took to the polls hoping to shake things up enough to get back to work. With California's October jobless rate at 12.4 percent, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) numbers, Californians took to the polls with the rest of America, but instead of ...

Controversy in Texas' DNA Sampling Policy Getting arrested in Texas could soon include something more than just a jail cell -- a DNA test. A growing number of law enforcement officials are calling for mandatory DNA testing, which they say would help police with unsolved crimes, particularly violent crimes like sexual assault and murder. Opponents say that mandatory testing violates individual privacy rights, and innocent people could be accused of crimes they did not commit. Twenty states already require DNA testing when someone is arrested. In Texas, a person is ...

Child Outcome-Based Support: Arizona's New Standard? The goal of a child support award is a laudable one: ensure that the separation of a child's parents will not have a significant economic impact upon the child. The hope is that, by forcing the non-custodial parent to supplement the income of the custodial one, the child's standard of living will remain similar to that enjoyed prior to the separation. Nearly every state's child support system is built around the central idea that the child's fiscal interests must be taken into account before that of the parents themselves. Clearly, ...

Teen Accident Deaths on Decline Despite Mobile-Phone Use Motor-vehicle accidents -- not drugs or diseases -- are the leading cause of death for teens in the United States. Despite alcohol, distraction and lack of experience contributing to the causes of accidents for this age group, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently reported a decline in fatal crashes among these youngest drivers. As part of its study, the CDC analyzed data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA's) Fatality Analysis Report System (FARS). Reviewing fatality data ...

River Logic, Inc., a leading provider of corporate performance management and predictive modeling software, today announced that Bolthouse Farms, a multi-hundred million dollar a year and multi-national leader in the "healthy choice" segment of the food and beverage industry, has selected Trade Promotion Optimization (TPO) Planner to improve the financial performance of trade investment decisions. "We reviewed a variety of trade promotion planning software offerings and River Logic, in partnership with Synectics Group, distinguished itself as a truly white-space solution ...

Statistics* released today by payday loan company speed-e-loans.com have exposed some of the media myths surrounding this industry, suggesting that the negative press coverage is scare-mongering. MYTH ONE - the payday parasites Despite press articles claiming that payday lenders prey on their customers (with one red top newspaper referring to those in the industry as "payday parasites"), 70% of all payday loans through speed-e-loans are paid back on the date selected when the loan was first taken out. The remaining 30% take advantage of their strict extension ...

Chef Point Cafe is exceedingly thankful to everybody who has helped make it such a tremendous success. Franson and Paula Nwaeze, proprietors of the five-star gourmet restaurant in a gas station, recognize the importance of helping others in their time of need, especially during the Thanksgiving season. As an expression of gratitude to their diners and in recognition of Thanksgiving, the Nwaezes are providing diners the opportunity to help the less fortunate, too. Chef Point will be collecting canned goods and non-perishable food items during November and donating it ...

M&Y Global Services, a leader in Chinese BPO, today issued a new whitepaper that examines China as a BPO destination. The whitepaper, "The Rise of China BPO", highlights China's continued focus to fuel growth in the BPO space and its potential as a leading BPO player amongst other global locations. The whitepaper coincides with the recent visit by British Prime Minister David Cameron with the largest British trade delegation to China in more than 200 years. The visit has boosted bilateral trade with contracts valued at millions of pounds reportedly being signed as a ...

The independent consumer organization, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, announces their list of the Best High-Tech Toys for 2010 on their website www.toyportfolio.com. "The good news for consumers is that the cost of technology is coming down," notes co-founder Joanne Oppenheim. "Toy makers know they need to be competitive this season so we've seen the prices really coming down for the holidays. One of the emerging trends is video camera equipment for every age group. Our list includes everything from a Barbie with a camera to an RC Helicopter that can capture images while ...

Bat Blue Corporation, a provider of end-to-end network and security technologies and services, today announced that it has been named East Region 2010 NextWave Platinum Partner of the Year by Palo Alto Networks. Palo Alto Networks' next-generation high-performance firewalls enable unprecedented visibility and granular policy control of applications and content, at up to 10 Gbps. With over 2,200 enterprise clients, Palo Alto Networks has enjoyed consistently high annual growth rates since it first began shipping product in 2007. Bat Blue has been a Palo Alto Networks ...

Plonk Wine Merchants, an Internet-based wine retailer that specializes in selling top-notch, small-production, and obscure wines from around the globe all under $30 per bottle, just announced the launch of its cutting-edge wine club. In addition to shipping wine to its members on a monthly basis, the Plonk Wine Club will feature a series of interactive online wine tastings led by an arsenal of acclaimed winemakers from around the world via live video broadcast. For $89.99 per month, Plonk Wine Club members will receive: - 4 wines per month: 1 bottle of the Plonk ...

The proportion of adult smokers dramatically decreased during the past three decades in at least one metropolitan area — with more quitting and fewer picking up the habit, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010. The Minnesota Heart Survey, a population-based, serial cross-sectional study of trends in cardiovascular risk factors, included between 3,000 and 6,000 participants in each of its six surveys. Examining the smoking trends in adults 25 to 74 years old in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metropolitan area from 1980 ...

Eating smaller amounts of salt each day as a teenager could reduce high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke in adulthood, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2010. Conducting a sophisticated computer modeling analysis, researchers projected the nationwide health effects of a 3-gram reduction in dietary salt from processed foods consumed by adolescent boys and girls. Teenagers eat more salt each day — more than 9 grams (3,800 milligrams of sodium) — than any other age group, researchers said. The American Heart ...