Once the dust had cleared from the recent economic collapse, the media focused a great deal of blame on one group: financial professionals involved in real property transactions who were accused of fudging documents, lying to buyers, falsifying appraisals and other illegal activities. New data from one federal agency reveals a growing interest in investigating all types of mortgage fraud and helping the Department of Justice pursue convictions. The latest annual mortgage fraud report from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reveals that the agency has taken a greater ...

A September 2010 decision by a Florida Circuit Court judge has upheld a Monroe County Court ruling that limits the use of breath test results by prosecutors in drunk driving cases. The opinion, which will likely face further appeals and potentially wider application in the state, requires prosecutors to prove that the Intoxilyzer 8000 produces accurate evidence of the level of alcohol in a driver's system. Such proof may be difficult for the state to provide in DUI cases, because the private company that makes the machine has persistently fought disclosure of the proprietary ...

In 1993, Texas made history (and drew the attention of the entire country) by establishing a state jail system designed to offer specialized treatment to certain inmates in order to lower their risk of recidivism and encourage them to become productive members of society. The program was specifically aimed at inmates convicted of a: - Nonviolent drug-related offense - Relatively minor theft crime - First-offense - Fourth-degree felony For several years, the state jail system seemed to be working, lowering an original recidivism rate for these petty criminals from ...

A recent lawsuit filed by a Texas resident injured in an August 2008 collision with a Missouri truck driver seeks several types of compensation for the resulting harm. Tyriska Olivera filed a civil suit against driver Mark A. Koenig and his employer, Freddie's Trucking, for injuries she sustained in the violent crash that allegedly occurred when Koenig failed to yield the right of way and struck her car. Ms. Olivera alleges that Mr. Koenig failed to brake in a timely manner, failed to maintain control of the truck and was speeding at the time of the accident. Freddie's ...

A study published in the September 2010 issue of the American Bankruptcy Institute's ABI Journal shows that a disproportionate percentage of recent bankruptcy petitioners have come from the Baby Boom generation. The study, "Aging and Bankruptcy Revisited," was based on data from as far back as 1994, and found that 42 percent of individual bankruptcy filers in 2007 were between the ages of 45 and 64. The growth in bankruptcy applicants over 55 is outpacing the aging of the American population, with an increase of 61 percent over a five-year period starting in 2002. There ...

Rodney Walters and Terri Reese have lived in their Jacksonville area home since 2006. The couple and their four children were recently ordered out of the home by a judge in Florida's new so-called "rocket docket" foreclosure courts. The New York Times reports that the couple faces a predicament common in Florida: they owe approximately twice as much on their house as it's worth. Walters and Reese fell behind on their mortgage two years ago after property taxes jumped. Something else that they have in common with other Florida homeowners facing foreclosure: they ...

When you are injured on the job, you may realize immediately that you will be unable to work. Or, you might only feel a slight twinge. Whether your workplace injury happened after a catastrophic workplace accident or a muscle pull that limited your range of motion so that you cannot complete daily work tasks, you need to report your injury as soon as possible to be eligible for workers compensation benefits through the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC). Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation Provides Tips to Report a Workplace Injury The BWC suggests several ...

Nine nurses at a Troy, New York, nursing home face 175 counts of failing to properly care for an incapacitated patient and falsifying records to conceal their alleged nursing home abuse . The North Country Gazette reports that the nine worked at the Northwoods Rehabilitation and Extended Care Facility in Troy. Each faces charges of endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person, willful violation of health laws, and falsification of business records. The nine new indictments bring the total in the nursing home abuse scandal to 14. Five previous ...

We've all heard about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and the efforts by BP to cap the well, contain the oil, and clean the Gulf. In the wake of the tremendous economic loss to the region, many have forgotten about the original fatal maritime accident on April 20 and the eleven lives lost that day. But to the survivors of the explosion and the families of those who died, the initial accident remains the paramount concern. With a catastrophe of this size, lawsuits are inevitable. What may surprise many is that Transocean, the owner of the sunken Deepwater Horizon ...

In a terrible case of nursing home abuse, Jean Rudolph died from untreated bed sores that had burrowed all the way to her bone. Rudolph, who previously taught others about care giving as a nursing educator, suffered for 22 days without sufficient care. Effie Tutor, a caregiver at the Houghton Lakeview adult home in Washington, was sentenced to 31 months in prison for Rudolph's preventable death. Tutor's inaction included repeatedly ignoring residents while chatting on the Internet to her overseas boyfriend. Her attorney argued she was not properly trained and was afraid ...

Whether traveling by plane, train, car or boat, Americans rely on the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to help ensure their safety. The NTSB is an independent federal agency with the mission to promote transportation safety. A major part of its work includes conducting safety studies and investigations to determine the probable cause of transportation accidents. The NTSB then issues its recommendations to agencies and industries that are encouraged to adopt them. As it turns out, the NTSB's suggestions are often ignored. Examples of Unheeded Warnings Over ...

Passenger Van Safety Concerns Raised Again The early October crash in Georgia of an overloaded 15-passenger van is raising awareness of the dangers of the vehicles. Four people in a church group died in the crash; another 15 suffered injuries when a tire blew out on the 1987 van, causing it to overturn. CBC News reported that the vehicle flipped several times, ejecting occupants. An Appeal to Pull the Vehicles off Roads The single-vehicle crash came just three days after two Canadian mothers who lost sons in van accidents appealed to transportation ministers ...

Rodriguez MD, a new Lawrenceville clinic and bilingual Lawrenceville family practice near Gwinnett Medical Center recently offered free community care to local area residents. On September 10 - 11, 2010 the medical practice offered free walk-in health checks for all ages and sports physicals for kids under 18. Patients who attended the event were able to learn about their health and how to obtain proper care if a problem is identified. "Health screenings can detect problems that would otherwise go unnoticed," explains Neville Street, the practice's Administrative Director. ...

Foster Care Associates (FCA) has reaffirmed its status as the UK's leading independent fostering agency through the publication of recent Ofsted inspection results. Assessing the quality and standard of services provided in its North West and South West regions, Ofsted judged each category and the region as a whole as 'Outstanding' - a fantastic achievement for the fostering agency. The inspectors found extensive evidence to underpin their judgment, particularly from children and young people and the agency's foster carer colleagues. The results further support the ...

House of Fraser presents Casa Couture, a new homeware collection launching exclusively this autumn. Casa Couture offers a capsule collection of high quality homeware with an emphasis on simple, clean detailing. Created for a sophisticated, design-conscious customer, the range offers a refined, calming collection of homeware that is exceptionally stylish. In a muted colour palette of soft mineral hues, an understated elegance runs through the heart of the Casa Couture collection. Providing a stylish living room look, a neutral-coloured corner sofa unit is the ideal ...

Oxford Valley Mall and its more than 120 retail stores are sponsoring the "Big sMALL Walk for Breast Cancer" at the mall on Saturday, October 23 starting at 7:30 am for the benefit of The Bott Cancer Center at Holy Redeemer Hospital in Meadowbrook, PA. The indoor Walk-A-Thon is intended to increase awareness and raise funds to combat this prevalent disease. Says Jim Malervy, Director of Marketing at the Oxford Valley Mall: "Many Walk-A-Thons are ten miles or more, but we want to make our event accessible to as many people as possible. Hence the "sMALL Walk"--it's only ...

As online poker moves further into the mainstream of Internet activities, more individuals are venturing into this frontier. While some of us play for entertainment, most are looking to make a few extra dollars, if not more. To make that happen, you'll need to know the ins and outs of how to play poker online. MyPokerBasics is a free poker portal dedicated to teaching you how to play poker in less than 15 minutes. Unlike many poker schools, MyPokerBasics.com does not waste time with lengthy explanations of each and every aspect of the game, instead incorporating a step ...

LiveDealerCasino.org is pleased to make known the publication of its new and ever growing Live Dealer Blackjack Guide. The online gambling portal was designed to cater to players who have acquired an interest in one of the latest fashions of Internet gambling, appropriately termed live dealer blackjack. Throughout the ages, technological advancements have enhanced nearly every aspect of our human lives. Just as seedy backroom saloons gave way to magnificent, luxurious casinos, and land-based casinos gave way to Internet gambling sites, the two have now been conjoined ...

SportsUntapped.com is proud to announce the release of all new picks and previews for all of your favorite major league sporting events. The online sportsbook industry is currently overloaded with favorable odds on NFL and MLB match ups. The National Football League (NFL) just kicked off the season last month, and with week 5 of play wrapping up last weekend, it is becoming more and more apparent who might actually have a shot at the Super Bowl as the year dwindles down. The online sportsbook industry offers NFL fans the perfect opportunity to place wagers on the ...

Any family who has sent a child off to school knows how expensive it can be. Paper, pens, books, notebooks, backpacks, new clothes ... the list seems to be never-ending. This year, Fort Worth insurance agent Linda Allen decided to lend a helping hand, so she gave away school bags on Aug. 7 and 14 in front of her State Farm office in Saginaw. "As a mom, I know how expensive school supplies can be, and bags are always needed," said Allen. The response to Allen's offer was overwhelming. She gave away more than 300 school bags in just three hours each day. "We had a ...

Merrill Corporation (www.merrillcorp.com), a leading provider of technology-enabled services, today announced that Merrill DataSite was recently selected as the "Product/Service of the Year" during the 2nd International M&A Advisor Awards. The award was presented at a luncheon at the Cornell Club in New York City on Sept. 27, 2010. The awards luncheon was held to honor dealmakers and firms "whose activities set the standard for the industry," according to the M&A Advisor, an organization that serves professionals in the M&A marketplace. Since its inception, Merrill ...

Inchwear, a Florida-based apparel company, has launched its fall 2010 collection including a line of graphic tees, which boast and promote a man's manhood in a unique and hilarious manner. This line is the first collection from Inchwear, but not the last. The company plans to launch more lines of fashion apparel including several more lines of t-shirts, long sleeve shirts, underwear, and swimwear. They are also in the process of producing apparel for a ladies line as well. Inchwear's line is designed for the confident male to humorously promote the size of his manhood, ...

In response to our ever-increasing list of partners, sponsors and delegates, FMA was recently faced with two choices: increase the size or the frequency of our events. For those of you who have already worked with us, it is the intimate scale and personalized approach of our congresses that play such a crucial role in the continuing success of our partners. We are proud to announce the roll-out of three new events to be held over the course of the upcoming months, maintaining the same quality and integrity you have come to expect from FMA Congresses and look forward to ...

RICHLAND, Washington – A redesign of sodium-nickel chloride batteries promises to overcome some of the obstacles long associated with rechargeable batteries. Replacing their typical cylindrical shape with a flat disc design allows the battery to deliver 30 percent more power at lower temperatures, according to work published by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in the October 8 issue of ECS Transactions, a trade journal. Researchers say these sodium-beta batteries could eventually be used in electricity substations to balance the generation and delivery of wind and ...

Australian scientists have developed a potentially groundbreaking new measure of the health of an embryo and the likelihood of a successful pregnancy in IVF treatment. The research could lead to significantly improved birth rates in IVF to help the one in six Australian couples experiencing infertility to achieve their dream of parenthood. It also has the potential to predict the gender of an embryo prior to implantation. The research by the University of Melbourne and Repromed was presented this week at the Fertility Society of Australia annual scientific meeting ...