Star Breaker

Manufacturers Face Tougher Safety Tests for New Cars

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:08:06 +0000

Cited: The Wall Street Journal

It is going to be more difficult for vehicles to receive top grades on their respective safety tests thanks to the government and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). As a safety-research arm of the insurance industry, IIHS says that 2010 vehicle models will have to be better to get its “top safety pick” award if it does not get a good rating on the new test of roof strength. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also creating a more vigorous crash testing system for 2011 models starting next year. This new safety rating system involves smashing vehicles in the polls and new overall safety rating scores.

The bottom line: Fewer vehicles are likely to get five-star ratings in the NHTSA’s one-to-five-star scoring system, and fewer vehicles are going to get the Insurance Institute’s top safety pick award, representatives of the NHTSA and IIHS say. In 2009, a record 84 vehicles earned the IIHS’s top endorsement.

This could be confusing for consumers, and present both engineering and communications challenges to car makers. Cars and trucks may get lower scores and fewer stamps of approval, but they won’t suddenly be less safe. Instead, the pressure will be on manufacturers to take vehicles to a higher level of safety.

Auto makers have done so well over the past two decades at figuring out how to engineer vehicles to pass safety tests that consumers now face the Lake Wobegon problem when they shop: All the cars are above average. So safety evaluators are raising the bar—the better to show consumers that there still are important differences in safety technology and engineering among the hundreds of models on the market.

Yet the Insurance Institute and the NHTSA are not instituting tougher tests in the same way or at the same pace, which could add to the challenges for consumers trying to plug safety scores into their new-vehicle buying decisions.

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The IIHS’s latest focus is on roof strength. In its newest round of testing, released last week, the institute rated six mini-cars for their ability to withstand a test designed to simulate the roof-crushing impact of a rollover accident. The cars tested—the Chevy Aveo, Smart Fortwo, Honda Fit, Mini Cooper, Hyundai Accent and Toyota Yaris—are the kind of highly fuel-efficient cars the government’s just-concluded “cash for clunkers” program encouraged consumers to buy.

Tops in the small-car roof-crush test was the Smart Fortwo—a car the IIHS slammed in April when it was making a different point about how tiny cars fare poorly in head-on crashes with larger ones. But if a Fortwo flips on its roof, the Insurance Institute test predicts it will do a good job protecting the occupants, because it can withstand 5.4 times the car’s weight.

The worst performer was General Motors Co.’s Chevrolet Aveo, a Korean-made car that supported 3.09 times its own weight in the crush test—double the current federal standard. The Aveo’s score was also a touch better than the new federal standard of three times the vehicle weight that phases in starting in 2012.

“One test alone doesn’t determine whether a vehicle is safe,” says GM spokeswoman Janine Fruehan.

The IIHS doesn’t rely one test for its top safety pick awards, but it is making a point with its new roof-crush requirement. Its president, Adrian Lund, said in a statement that the government’s “leisurely phase-in of the new standard means roofs won’t have to get stronger right away, so we plan to continue rating vehicle roof strength for the foreseeable future. We want to reward manufacturers who are ahead of their competition when it comes to providing protection in rollover crashes.”

The government’s decision to phase in the new standard between 2012 and 2016 responds to pleas from the auto industry, which, besides being battered and bruised financially, always wants at least one product cycle to accomplish any regulatory change that involves the structure of a vehicle.

The same desire not to crush the industry with regulatory demands in the middle of a financial crisis led the NHTSA to delay until 2011 from 2010 the launch of its new more-rigorous crash tests. But the 2011 model year is right around the corner, given the lead time auto makers need to redesign vehicles and conduct their own testing.

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My Take: I like this little car! It is so cute! The Fortwo is a fantastic car for single people and it is economical. Of course, you have to give up the crowd when going to a party, but it is worth it. I now if they could just make a four seater that was just as economical they would really have a car that everyone would want. Well, almost everyone.

Since it is not a gas-guzzler, people will begin to travel more. This will improve tourism around the country and help the economy. The question is, how often will it break down? If the engine, transmission and framework constructed well, it should not break down very often. This can make a difference to a single person financially.

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Landmark Election in Japan

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:03:09 +0000

Cited: AFP

After a historical general election, Japan’s incoming leaders met the outgoing government to start a power transition after winning by a landslide, as a poll indicates 75% of people have high expectations of them. Prime Minister Taro Aso’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost to the center-left Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) after decades of almost continuous one-party dominance. Yukio Hatoyama, DPJ leader, is set to become prime minister on September 16. He promises to name his cabinet within 24 hours. Soon after that he will be off to the United Nations to meet world leaders in the general assembly.

To pave the way for a smooth change of government — Japan’s first since the early 1990s — outgoing Chief Cabinet Secretary Takeo Kawamura, a close aide to Aso, met DPJ secretary general Katsuya Okada on Wednesday.

“I asked the chief cabinet secretary to tell ministries and agencies to provide us with information and broad cooperation” on issues from the economy to tackling swine flu, Okada told reporters after meeting Kawamura.

Kawamura, the top government spokesman, said the current rulers would meet their responsibility and ensure a smooth transition of power.

“Since Japan does not have rules on government transitions, unlike the United States or Britain, we think this is the first step to make them,” Kawamura said before the meeting.

“We will of course cooperate on a new government for the sake of the country and in the national interest.”

Premier-in-waiting Hatoyama, 62, plans to shape the next government in a coalition with two smaller parties — the Social Democrats and a tiny group of LDP defectors known as the People’s New Party. The three groups held working-level talks to coordinate policies.

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“Naturally, the key is how well we can coordinate our policies,” Hatoyama told a gathering of his supporters.

“I expect a coalition among the three parties will be finalized in due time,” he said.

Hatoyama also met representatives on Wednesday from the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, or Rengo, a national umbrella organisation of labour unions which has been a strong support base for the DPJ. The DPJ and Rengo in July made a policy deal in which the party promised to seek a more equitable society and to reduce the wealth gap in Japan in return for the labour unions’ support in the election. The DPJ also stated the goal of creating 1.8 million new jobs, strengthening regulation and surveillance of international financial markets, and improving conditions for casual workers, dubbed the “working poor” by media.

Meanwhile, the nation’s biggest business lobby Nippon Keidanren remained cautious over the incoming government, including its ambitious targets to cut greenhouse gas emissions. Chairman Fujio Mitarai told Japanese reporters the DPJ must consider fairness and the burden to the people as the party aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020, compared with the LDP’s eight-percent cut. Japan faces a real power shift for the first time since the LDP was founded in 1955. Since then, the conservative party maintained its iron grip on power with only one break, a 10-month hiatus in 1993-1994.

“This was an election in which people for the first time in the nation’s post-war history opted for a big change,” DPJ secretary general Okada told a Tokyo symposium.

“While feeling the grave responsibility of power, we will try to avoid mistakes in administrative management.”

On foreign policy, he said the DPJ government would promote strong diplomatic ties with China, adding that the party hoped to establish what he called win-win relations with the giant neighbour.

Only 17 percent said they had no hope at all for the next government, according to the survey of 1,104 adults nationwide, which was carried out immediately after the DPJ’s overwhelming victory.

But only 32 percent said they thought the DPJ-led government would be able to change Japanese politics drastically, against 46 percent who believed it could not, the Asahi said.

“Voters welcome the government change generally, but a not insignificant number of them have doubt about the DPJ’s politics and capabilities,” it said.

The daily also quoted an unnamed DPJ official saying: “If we cannot live up to expectations, the disappointment will be big.”

Elect tour it actually expects incoming government to deliver according to media surveys. The mass-circulation Asahi Shimbun conducted a telephone poll and found that 75% of all respondents did have high expectations for the new leaders.

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My Take: It seems that America is not the only country that has problems with its government. I wonder if its citizens are just as dissatisfied as many of America’s citizens are. As it is, the government by the people and for the people does not seem to be doing much.

If our government were doing its job, people would not be needing home security or worrying about whether they will even have a home. It would really be nice to live in a country for home security was not needed or even those annoying Ademco alarms that people have on their homes or cars.

Maybe someday we will live in a perfect world. NOT! That would be impossible! How about a near perfect world where crime is almost unheard of? Then the government would not have much to do with it

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Banks Still Struggling Despite Improving Economy

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:56:47 +0000

Cited: AP

Banks are still failing at an accelerated rate and other banks are still struggling despite signs of an improving economy. How can people protect their savings? Can anything be done to turn the banking sector around? The latest quarterly report on the banking industry paid a grim picture. Here are some questions and answers about the US bank failures.

Q: How bad is this wave of failures?

A: A cascade of collapses began last year as the financial crisis struck.

Eighty-four banks have fallen so far this year as tumbling home prices and spiking unemployment pushed loan defaults upward. That’s the largest number in a year since the early 1990s, at the apex of the savings and loan crisis. It compares with 25 bank failures last year and three in 2007. The failures have sapped billions from the federal deposit insurance fund, which guarantees account holders’ money when banks go under. The fund stood at $10.4 billion in the second quarter, its lowest point since 1992.

The biggest failure this year: Colonial Bank, a heavy regional lender in real estate development based in Montgomery, Ala., which became the sixth-largest bank failure in U.S. history on Aug. 14. The Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. seized Colonial and sold its $20 billion in deposits, 346 branches in five states and about $22 billion of its assets to BB&T Corp.

Some analysts believe another 100 to 300 banks could fail before the crisis runs its course, largely because of souring loans for commercial real estate. The number of institutions on the FDIC’s internal “problem list” — those rated by examiners as having very low capital cushions against risk and other deficiencies — jumped to 416 at the end of June from 305 in the first quarter, the agency reported Thursday.

Q: What is behind this?

A: Banks around the country have run into trouble on their loans for construction and development, the fastest-growing category of troubled loans for U.S. banks, especially in overbuilt areas. Many companies have shut down in the recession, vacating shopping malls and office buildings financed by the loans.

Lots of banks have heavy concentrations of these loans in their lending portfolios, and some small banks are considered by regulators to be particularly vulnerable. Delinquent loan payments and defaults by commercial and residential developers have surged to the highest levels since the early 1990s, during the S&L crisis.

At the same time, some recent failures have been smaller banks brought down by garden-variety loans that have soured during the recession. Regulators say they’re concerned about growing delinquencies on prime, conventional home loans.

Q: So even though the economy is starting to recover, banks are still struggling?

A: The condition of the banking industry is what economists call a lagging indicator: It falls behind the state of the economy because the problems take longer to percolate through banks, as opposed to other signposts such as consumer spending, gross domestic product or permits for building construction. That means the pain will continue to weigh on the banking sector while the economy rebounds.

FDIC Chairman Sheila Bair offered a reminder on Thursday: “Banking industry performance is, as always, a lagging indicator.”

Q: What will it take to turn the banking industry around?

A: Not much other than time, experts say.

“The only thing you could do is … to ignore the losses that are already there,” said Karen Shaw Petrou, managing partner of Federal Financial Analytics in Washington. That would be a terrible mistake, she said, noting that regulators’ blind eye in the 1980s prolonged the S&L crisis.

“The best thing for the banking industry is just to take it on the chin and move on,” she said.

Q: What about me? What can I do to protect my money in the bank?

A: Accounts are insured by the FDIC up to $250,000 per depositor per bank. Joint accounts are insured up to that amount for each co-owner of the account; individual retirement accounts, or IRAs, held in banks are also insured.

If you have multiple individual accounts at one bank, it’s important to structure them carefully so they don’t exceed the limits. The FDIC has a calculator on its Web site called the electronic deposit insurance estimator, or EDIE, that can help determine how much money in deposit accounts, if any, exceeds the insurance limits. You can find it here: http://tinyurl.com/lt3aok.

If you do have deposit accounts in a failed bank that go beyond the insured limits, you just became a creditor of the bank. Of course, you may only get $.40 on the dollar up to the full amount eventually. You also have to realize that it could take months to even get a percentage of the total back.

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My Take: I definitely do not have to worry about going over the limit in my checking account or savings account. I would never have enough money to even get close to that insurers limit. It would be nice though! I do not know what I would do if the bank I am with did fail and I lost all of my money. I wonder how long it would take the FDIC to return it?

I am old enough to have a parent who lived through the Great Depression. My mother has told me some horrendous stories of what happened to people. I would hope that this country has learned its lessons and not allow the same things to happen again. I cannot even imagine not being able to buy a new or used pair of shoes.

Right now, the economy is bad enough that we are pretty close to what happened in the 30s. I am still waiting for the other shoe to drop. I am praying that it never does. If it does drop, this country is in a world of hurt. As it is, people are selling their Piermont real estate at reduced rates just to avoid foreclosures. I also understand that Rockland County riverfront property is going fairly cheap.

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Good, Bad or Bribery?

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:51:32 +0000

Cited: Time

Well, the Cash for Clunkers program is over and. It seems that in the final days of the program, car dealers were actually turning away buyers. The reason could be very simple; the government website crashed trying to keep up with all the paperwork. What does it tell you about our nation’s character when the most popular government program in years that was aimed at reviving the economy from its vegetative state was an economically, environmentally and politically lazy handout from 99% of the population to the other 1%?

The Secrets to Cash for Clunkers’ Success

It used to be, when we wanted to use public policy to nudge private behavior, we poked people with a stick: 40 years of issuing health warnings couldn’t reduce smoking as much as hiking taxes so that a pack can cost upwards of $9. But nowadays, Congress would much rather reward than penalize, and bribery as policy has a modern elegance to it. Cash for Clunkers didn’t involve intricate algorithms or a 1,400-page appropriations bill. The only debate was over how much sugar was needed to sweeten the pot. That first billion was supposed to last a few months; when it ran out in a week, a bipartisan coalition voted to squirt $2 billion more into the pipeline. Here, finally, was stimulus policy Americans understood.

Researchers find that people will buy something on sale even if the reduced price is higher than the regular price at another store. “Just seeing the difference between the full and reduced price motivates the purchases,” explains Ellen Ruppel Shell in her new book, Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture. “It is as though, rather than spending the cost of the product, we’re actually earning the savings.”

Which raises the tantalizing question of how such delusional psychology might be applied to our other problems. There are already plans for Dollars for Dishwashers; buyers will get a rebate if they scrap that energy-sucking appliance for a more efficient one. Arizonans debated boosting election-day turnout with the Voter Reward Act, which proposed treating ballots like lottery tickets: one lucky voter would have won a million dollars. New York City pays public-school students to get good grades.

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But these are penny-size ideas. Now that trillion has replaced billion in our fiscal conversations, the scope for inventive incentives is vast. The cost of treating obesity has doubled in a decade, to $147 billion. So how about Cash for Chunkers: we get to trade in that extra 20 pounds for a coupon good at the local farm stand. Roads and bridges crumbling? Why bother allocating $27 billion in stimulus money when we could pay people to reroute or, better yet, stay home? California plans on releasing at least 37,000 inmates to ease prison overcrowding and save $1 billion. It costs $27,000 a year to keep someone in jail. It would be much more efficient to pay thieves not to steal in the first place.

Is this the essential paradox of the age of Obama, that we have to destroy the village in order to save it, bust the budget in hopes we’ll someday balance it, play to self-interest to promote the national interest? Just as the Cash for Clunkers frenzy reached its peak, the Administration quietly released new deficit projections, which pointed to a $9 trillion gap over 10 years. In the middle of a national nervous breakdown over out-of-control spending, we took a summer break from puritanical fretting and got all excited about a federal subsidy for something we already buy more of than we need.

Of course, critics are right that the program will probably drive up the price of used cars for poor people who need them and will have only a marginal effect on the long-term prospects of the auto industry. Subsidies don’t so much increase demand as kidnap it, inspire people to take the money they were saving for a new fridge and apply it to a pickup instead. As for the environmental benefit, the new fleet will save about 160 million gal. of gasoline a year–which sounds awfully good, except that we use 378 million gal a day.

But all that misses the point. The goal of the policy was only incidentally to sell more cars or scrub the air. It was mainly aimed at reviving our animal spirits. We will know, when the history of the Great Recession is written, whether this summer brought the turning point, when we crept out of our little boxes, felt a hunger for the open road, our spirits drunk on the smell of vinyl and the feel of the wheel.

Neither liberal nor conservative, the beauty of the policy was deeply pragmatic. What you do is try a little bit of everything just to see what works. History has shown us that irrational patchwork of solutions has a decent record of accomplishment. If a program like Cash for Clunkers is all it takes to get our economy up and moving again then just maybe that $3 billion was the best throwaway money Washington ever throughout.

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My Take: I think it is a shame that they have stopped the program. The environment was going to get better with more economical vehicles on the road. I think the government just did not anticipate such a large response to the program. Then again, the government is always behind the times.

Hopefully, they will bring the program back at a later date. Maybe even I will be able to afford a car than. Or maybe, they will start a first car owner program like that first homeowner program! That would be interesting! I can just see the 16-year-old rushing to local car dealership to get their first car at a reduced rate. That would be a hilarious site.

If that did happen, more kids would be going to an academy driving school NY so that they could get a car quicker and then they would make the visit to the New York State DMV. I hope their parents would be smart enough to also make them take a defensive driving course so that they are safe on the road. There is even a NY defensive driving online class for those who cannot make it to a regular classroom

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Georgia is Puzzled by 8 Killings

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 18:47:46 +0000

Cited: NewsDaily

The police in southeastern Georgia have launched a murder investigation after a 22-year-old man reported returning to his mobile home only to find 7 members of his family dead and one near death. The 8th victim, unfortunately, died in the hospital.

“I just got home. My whole family’s dead,” Guy Heinze said in a 911 emergency call to police in the coastal town of Brunswick, Georgia. He said the dead included his father, uncle and cousins. Authorities on Monday released the tape of the 911 call, in which a sobbing and barely coherent Heinze says “it looks like they been beaten to death.”

Michael Toler, 19, whom Heinze described as a cousin with Down syndrome, died from injuries he had received. A ninth member of the group, who was not identified, was still in a hospital.

Glynn County police did not say how the victims had been killed, but The Brunswick News quoted an official close to the investigation as saying they had been shot. Police Chief Matt Doering said victims included children to adults in their 40s. County authorities offered a $25,000 reward for information leading to an arrest in the deaths, the newspaper reported.

Heinze was arrested on charges of tampering with evidence, obstruction of an officer and illegal drug possession but police have not said he is a suspect, the paper said.

South Georgia police are desperately searching for clues in the slayings of eight members of an extended family who were killed in their mobile home near Brunswick. Killed were Rusty Toler Sr., his four children, two siblings and his daughter’s boyfriend. A ninth victim, a 3-year-old, is in critical condition.

Glynn County authorities apparently have no suspects in the case and still have not said how the victims, all living in a single mobile home in the New Hope Plantation mobile home park, were killed.

‘Good Country Folks’

A total of 10 people lived in the small single-wide mobile home because Rusty Toler Sr. took in his relatives and friends who had lost their jobs and had fallen on hard times. The family was described by the park manager as “good country folks” who worked hard but struggled.

Three days after their deaths, police identified the victims as Michelle Toler, 15; Michael Toler, 19; Russell D. Toler Jr., 20; Chrissy Toler, 22; Joseph L. West, 30; Russell D. Toler Sr., 44; Guy Heinze Sr., 45; and Brenda Gail Falagan, 49.

Heinze and Falagan were Rusty Toler’s brother and sister. West was Chrissy Toler’s boyfriend and the surviving victim is believed to be Chrissy’s 3-year-old son, according to family members. Also living at the home was Guy Heinze Jr., 22, who reported the crime to police in a 12-minute 9-1-1 call.

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Reward Offered for Information

“I just got home,” Heinze told the emergency dispatcher. “I was out last night. I got home just now, and everybody’s dead. … My whole family’s dead. It looks like they’ve been beaten to death. I don’t know what to do, man. My dad, my mom, my uncle, my cousin. …. My dad, he’s laying there dead. That was my dad.”

Heinze gave the telephone to someone else and was heard saying in the background, “Michael’s alive, tell them to hurry! He’s beat up! His face is smashed in!” Michael Toler, who had Down’s syndrome, died in a Savannah hospital.

Although he was the one that called 911, the younger Heinze was later arrested. He was charged with tampering with evidence, obstruction of an officer and illegal drug possession, but Glynn County Police Chief Matt Doering said Heinze was not being treated as a suspect, although not completely ruled out. Authorities have offered a $25,000 reward for information in the case.

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My Take: I do not see how anybody can do this. If this young man killed his whole family, then he needs help! Taking the life of another person is unconscionable to me. What makes it worse is that the police do not seem to have a clue as to who could have done it.

Once all the advancements in forensic science, they should be able to find something. The criminals will always leave something behind, always. The police and their forensic team just have to find it. Once they find what the criminal left behind who did this horrendous act, there will be one step closer to catching them.

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Houston Texas is a major center of activity for 18 wheelers. Numerous highways and massive amounts of industrial and shipping facilities along with millions of large commercial vehicles that pass through Houston and the surrounding area has given Houston a spot in the top 10 list of leaders in semi-truck accidents. Many big rig accidents are actually caused by passenger cars, a significant portion are due to truck driver negligence, equipment malfunctions and in some cases gross negligence on behalf of the truck driver. If you or a loved one has been involved in 18 wheeler accident you need to contact a TX tractor trailer accident attorney now.

Felony Representation

A Texas criminal defense attorney will explain that a felony in the State of Texas is generally classified as an offense that has a standard sentence of more than one year of potential jail time or a fine in excess of $5000. The punishment for a felony charge is far more severe than that of a misdemeanor with punishments ranging from multiple years in prison to the death penalty. Felonies can result in long jail sentences. Even after a jail sentence is served the accused will feel the lasting negative effects of a felony for many years. One group of Texas criminal attorneys can help.

Dog Behavioral Issues

Any dog can have behavioral issues. However, it is critical to mention that most behavioral issues are specific to a particular dog. You think it problem solving sessions that are private to ensure your individual success from an Oklahoma dog training service. They have constructed programs that will help you eliminate less severe behaviors that are also not wanted. These programs are typically scheduled as specialty clinics. Between their specialty clinics and their private lessons, they can help you eliminate all of those unwanted dog behaviors. There is no reason for your personal protection dogs being unsafe around people, kids or other dogs.

Business Owners Combat the Recession

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:33:59 +0000

Cited: Business Wire

A program called “Marketing Your Business: Five Strategies to Position Your Company in a Challenging Market” featuring Carolyn Sawyer, Founder and Chief Creative Strategist of the Tom Sawyer Company will be live on June 30 at 12 PM (CT), a hosted by The Principal Women in Business Teleclass Series complimentary teleclass.

“Now, more than ever, clients seek results-focused partners and that’s where opportunity emerges,” said Michelle Swanson, assistant director, Advertising, The Principal. “Having started her company from scratch and working with national brands, coupled with leading a successful broadcast career, Carolyn knows the meaning of perseverance especially in a tough market. She’ll inspire our listeners with her story and proven approaches to turn today’s market into opportunity.”

Held on “Teleclass Tuesdays,” the series of four complimentary teleclasses are squarely focused on bringing the best leaders, ideas and tools to women business owners to navigate the recession. This second session in 2009’s program allows the audience unique interaction in a casual format with Sawyer. To take part in the program and become a member, register at www.principal.com/women.

A respected author, Sawyer wrote, “Forget the Glass Slipper, Build Your Own Castle: 10 Traits of a Million Dollar Business.” Sawyer has served as a correspondent for ABC News and as a news anchor for Lifetime Television. She is an active member of the Women’s President’s Organization (WPO,) an association for multi-million dollar business owners, and is a founding member of the Coalition of 100 Black Women-Boston Chapter.

Those looking for invitations or announcements . . . Life has so many special occasions and you make each one truly special. From graduations to first communions, from anniversaries to Baptisms, wedding announcements to birth announcements you can find unique invitations for every occasion you want to celebrate. That includes the most popular in invitations.

While bridal showers are great fun, they also take a lot of time to coordinate. When you order professionally printed bridal shower invitations, you will save time with a quick and easy ordering system. You can save even more time and money when you order your marriage announcements.

For a special occasion like a baby, you want adorable baby shower invitations that truly express how much you care. You will be thrilled at the wide selection of baby shower invitations from which you can choose. Ask for a free proof to ensure it is printed exactly the way you want for your invitations.

Any birthday party is a blast, but those that fall on landmark years are especially fun. Spend your time tending to the details, and let someone create memorable birthday party invitations for your special event. You can even find coordinating party supplies to go with the invitations. Your friends and the birthday boy or girl will be impressed!

The teleclass is provided by the Principal Financial Group. It features nationally recognized business leaders and thinkers from bestselling author and “Today” show financial contributor Jean Chatzky to chocolate visionary and multi-million dollar business owner Katrina Markoff. Class summaries and audio of all past programs are available for download at www.principal.com/women. The program’s moderator is Pamela Mitchell, Founder of The Reinvention Institute and Inc. Women in Business Contributor.

The Principal Financial Group (The Principal) is a leader in offering businesses, individuals and institutional clients a wide range of financial products and services, including retirement and investment services, life and health insurance, and banking through its diverse family of financial services companies. A member of the Fortune 500, the Principal Financial Group has $236.6 billion in assets under management and serves some 18.8 million customers worldwide from offices in Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America and the United States. Principal Financial Group, Inc. is traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PFG. For more information, visit www.principal.com.

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My Take: I think it is always a good idea to keep learning when you own a business. Programs like this allow business owners to improve themselves, which improves their business. They can even do it from the comfort of their own home.

Many large corporations offer their employees and executives educational opportunities within the company and they even will pay them to attend these opportunities. However, a small business owner may not have the opportunity to take advantage of additional education because he or she is too busy running their business. This type of program gives that small business owner the opportunity to increase their knowledge and improve their business without taking precious time away from that business.

Small business owners need more programs like this, especially if they are free. I believe it would help the economy more if small businesses could grow without additional expense. Sometimes, that additional expense could be a problem for small business owner.

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Other Resources

Simpler Times

In a much simpler time, children grew up in a small towns or neighborhoods. They experienced a childhood lifted straight from the pages of a Norman Rockwell book. They rode bikes to baseball practice, fished in the local river for whatever would bite, and delivered newspapers each afternoon through rain, sleet, or snow.

From the art of Bob Byerley, featuring nostalgic paintings of children building tree forts or soapbox cars, to replica tin signs and wooden airplane propellers, you can bring that same smile to every person who remembers something from their childhood.

Genuine Irish Jewelry

Celtic jewelry is hallmarked by the Assay Office in Dublin Castle. The Dublin Assay Office was established in 1637 to supervise the assaying of all gold and silver throughout the whole kingdom of Ireland. Originally, hallmarks consisted of the goldsmiths’ proper mark, which was the maker’s mark originally used to identify the silversmith or goldsmith responsible for making the article. The fineness mark, the crowned harp, was applied to 22-carat gold and sterling silver, which was silver of a standard of 925 parts of fine silver in each 1000.

In 1638, a date letter system was introduced and used in conjunction with the above marks. This date letter denotes the year in which the piece was made or hallmarked and is changed on January 1 each year. A new mark in the form of Hibernia was introduced on March 25th 1730 to indicate that a duty had been paid on all articles manufactured on or after that date. The Hibernia mark is used on all claddagh jewelry of Irish manufacture hallmarked at the Dublin Assay Office.

Value of Marital Property

Once a couple has made the final decision to divorce, the court or their Pittsburgh family attorney will hire a valuator who will determine the “fair market” value of any business or property they may share. However, separate property that was placed in both names during the marriage may be “transmuted” into marital property. However, a spouse may be able to “trace” separate property from one account to another during the marriage, thereby preserving separate property. By utilizing the date of separation, a court can identify marital assets and give credit the spouse who has contributed non-marital property to the marital estate. A Pittsburgh divorce lawyer can assist his client who also utilizes post-separation income that is used to maintain marital assets get credit.

Had an Accident?

A traffic collision or car accident is when a road vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, or geographical or architectural obstacle. Traffic collisions can result in injury, property damage, and death. Many factors contribute to an accident including driver behavior, speed, driver impairment and even road design. Let us not forget that even a well-designed, well-maintained vehicle with good brakes and tires can still be involved in an accident. Car collisions will usually carry legal consequences in proportion to the severity of the crash. This means that you should contact a Portland OR personal injury attorney if you have been involved in a motor vehicle accident.

Epoxy and Tires

Keep epoxy and your hot car tires do not mix well! Most epoxies react to your hot tires during the curing process. That means that your new garage flooring is going to come up quickly because the heat from your tires make epoxy softens, then this color, bubble, appeal or even stick to your tire. Not only that, but your hot tires are extremely abrasive and wear the high gloss finish off most epoxies that new garage floor in no time at all. In addition, did you know that all solids based epoxies are not UV stable and need a topcoat of urethane based topcoat to prevent it from yellowing from sun exposure?

60% of US Bankruptcies May Be Caused by Medical Bills

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:29:58 +0000

Cited: CNN.com

Did you know that over 1 million Americans will declare bankruptcy this year? Unbelievably, these bankruptcies will not be because of overspending or a lavish lifestyle but because of medical bills. Medical bills have caused bankruptcies to increase 50% in just six years. In 2001, it was only 46% and that went up to 62% in 2007. In addition, those who have been filing bankruptcy are middle-class, well-educated homeowners according to a report will be published in August in an issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

“Unless you’re a Warren Buffett or Bill Gates, you’re one illness away from financial ruin in this country,” says lead author Steffie Woolhandler, M.D., of the Harvard Medical School, in Cambridge, Mass. “If an illness is long enough and expensive enough, private insurance offers very little protection against medical bankruptcy, and that’s the major finding in our study.”

Woolhandler and her colleagues surveyed a random sample of 2,314 people who filed for bankruptcy in early 2007, looked at their court records, and then interviewed more than 1,000 of them. Health.com: Expert advice on getting health insurance and affordable care for chronic pain

They concluded that 62.1% of the bankruptcies were medically related because the individuals either had more than $5,000 (or 10% of their pretax income) in medical bills, mortgaged their home to pay for medical bills, or lost significant income due to an illness. On average, medically bankrupt families had $17,943 in out-of-pocket expenses, including $26,971 for those who lacked insurance and $17,749 who had insurance at some point. Overall, three-quarters of the people with a medically related bankruptcy had health insurance, they say.

“That was actually the predominant problem in patients in our study — 78% of them had health insurance, but many of them were bankrupted anyway because there were gaps in their coverage like co-payments and deductibles and uncovered services,” says Woolhandler. “Other people had private insurance but got so sick that they lost their job and lost their insurance.”

However, Peter Cunningham, Ph.D., a senior fellow at the Center for Studying Health System Change, a nonpartisan policy research organization in Washington, D.C., isn’t completely convinced. He says it is often hard to tell in which cases medical bills add to the bleak financial picture without being directly responsible for the bankruptcies.

“I’m not sure that it is correct to say that medical problems were the direct cause of all of these bankruptcies,” he says. “In most of these cases, it’s going to be medical expenses and other things, other debt that is accumulating.” Either way, he agrees that medical bills are an increasing problem for many people.

“I think medical bills are something that a lot of families are having a lot of difficulty with. Whether it’s the direct cause of bankruptcy or whether it helps to push them over the edge because they already were in a precarious financial situation, it’s a big concern and hopefully that’s what medical reform will try to address,” he says.

For those who are looking to avoid bankruptcy and keep their homes . . . Are you struggling to make your payments? Do you have an Arizona foreclosure date scheduled for your home? Does your Arizona loan modification have a payment that you cannot afford? Are you lost with the myriad of information that is available to you? Do you have unanswered questions? Would you like someone to be completely honest with you about what is possible? You need to call someone with your questions that will not try to sell you anything, without pushy people and with just friendly, knowledgeable and compassionate professionals who will answer your questions!

The study may overestimate the number of bankruptcies caused by medical bills yet underestimate the financial burden of health care on American families, because most people struggle along but do not end up declaring bankruptcy, according to Cunningham.

“Bankruptcy is the most extreme or final step for people who are having problems paying medical bills,” he says. “Medical bills and medical costs are an issue that can very easily and in pretty short order overwhelm a lot families who are on otherwise solid financial ground, including those with private insurance.” His group’s research found that medical bills unduly stress 1 in 5 families.

The economic atmosphere became worse a year after the study was conducted. However, the problem is still getting worse for people in the United States because of the high cost of medical care. Bankruptcy numbers are soaring and are expected to get even worse than they were in 2005 when Congress changed the bankruptcy laws. In fact, in 2005 bankruptcy peak 2 million filings.

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My Take: I really do not believe that medical bills are the main reason people are filing for bankruptcy. I believe it has everything to do with credit cards. Credit cards make buying anything too easy! Of course, carrying plastic is a lot safer than carrying cash. Nevertheless, there is always a check!

I went bankrupt in 2000 and was because of credit cards. Yes, I do have one credit card now with a zero balance. It is only meant for emergencies. Those emergencies are not for clothes or Christmas presents. An emergency is a flat tire on a rainy night and no money in your pocket and they will not accept a check. You can easily pay this off before the end of the month with this type of small emergency. A big emergency might be a family illness in another state and you do not have the cash to get there.

I highly recommend if you have credit cards, at them all in half and pay them off before you get to a bankruptcy situation. Moreover, go by the rule of “if you don’t have the money, you don’t need it.” If you want something bad enough, stick the money aside and buy it when you have the cash. If you live by this rule financially, you will avoid a whole lot of migraines.

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Related Resources

Commercial Loans

If capital is to real estate as oxygen is to life, then what we do is important. Selecting the proper commercial real estate financing structure is as critical to the ultimate financial performance of a real estate asset as is the acquisition decision itself. When you work with commercial loan brokers, you work with commercial real estate financing professionals who expertly handle all aspects of the transaction from identifying the best lender, negotiating the optimal loan terms and micro managing the entire loan process. You need someone who believes in addressing any potential deal issues at the outset of the transaction, thereby mitigating lender re-trades after loan application. Lenders respect and appreciate an upfront approach to doing business as much as you do. If you looking at a commercial mortgage default, call someone now.

Quick Cash

Get cash now and forget those monthly payments FOREVER! You can easily contact someone who will work with buyers who are ready to pay top dollar for your cash flow notes. If you have a trust deed, a mortgage note or any private loan, it is time to find out exactly how much CASH you could be entitled to.

You can quickly learn how to cash out in minutes and it is easy to get cash in just a few days. You can get real quotes directly from certified buyers. There has never been an easier or faster way to cash out of your investment. Whether you need money to pay bills, to buy a home, to fund an education or even if you just need some spending cash. You can find someone who is willing to buy real estate notes and see your money in a short time.

Real Estate Financing or Refinancing

Are you looking for someone who specializes in low rate purchase mortgage KY and refinancing for KY and IN homes. You can easily find one located in Louisville, KY that is committed to customer satisfaction. Most mortgage companies are approved to originate FHA purchase and refinance mortgages, VA loans, FHA streamline refinances, jumbo loans, conventional mortgages such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans as well as Rural Housing loans and others. Make sure they are a member of the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and have earned an “A” rating with that agency. You want someone who is realtor friendly and consistently receives exceptional reviews from current and past clients. They should also be a member of the Kentucky Association of Mortgage Professionals and the National Association of Mortgage Brokers especially if you are looking for Lawrenceburg Kentucky mortgage.

The Case of the Defective Product

A defective product can cause serious injury or even early death for both young and old alike. It is now the responsibility of a manufacturer to protect consumers from defective products. At one time, manufacturers did not have to own up to injuries caused by their products. Now, manufacturers are required to warn customers that a defective product is on the market otherwise, the company is liable. To protect consumers from harmful defective products, liability laws were created to help victims in recovering damages for injuries suffered. Texas injury attorneys can help victims get compensation for injuries or deaths from manufacturers that have produced defective products. If you think a defective product has caused you harm or the death of someone, you know, contact an attorney immediately.

Community Property

Every Pittsburgh divorce attorney knows that community property or “marital” property includes all property that has been acquired by both parties during the marriage without regard to who owns it including the increase in value of anything acquired prior to marriage or by gift, bequest, devise or descent like bonds and stocks. This means simply that the court does not pay any attention to whose name is on the property just when it was acquired during the marriage. Of course, every Pittsburgh divorce lawyer knows the nine exceptions to the law in Pennsylvania, which includes premarital property and anything acquired during a separation. This type of property is called separate or non-marital property.

Legal Experience

Over the course of the years, an attorney should gain experience in a broad variety of legal matters, claims and trials. That broad based experience allows them to see the big picture and choose the best path for your particular concerns. A Portland OR car accident lawyer should be able to assist you from straightforward issues to serious litigation. Even Portland OR bankruptcy attorneys should be able to provide you with the experience and confident advice you need to maneuver through the confusing morass of any legal problem. Their goal should be to provide you with respectful and courteous service, to listen to your concerns and to tailor a cost effective solution to your particular needs.

Choosing a Bankruptcy Attorney

Usually an initial consultation with a bankruptcy attorney is free. This is when a client should be really honest and explain his or her situation to the attorney. The client can also figure out whether they are comfortable with that attorney and their staff or not. At the same time, the North Carolina bankruptcy attorneys will give you feedback on your financial problems and possible options. You should also find out how long the attorney has been in practice, what their specialization is and how many cases they have won. You also should ask if the attorney will be “personally” handling your case or if it will be passed on to a junior lawyer or staff member. Ask questions until you are satisfied that they are the bankruptcy attorneys for you.

Child Support

To determine child support, Colorado uses the “income shares” model. This is a method based on the level of support both parents combined income. There are worksheets available at the Colorado Judicial Branch Child Support Guidelines that can help you to determine the level of support or you could contact a Denver CO child support lawyer. Child support may continue until a child becomes emancipated, graduates from high school, or it may continue beyond the age of nineteen if the child is mentally or physically disabled. Support for post-secondary education of the child may be ordered on both the parents.

Clunker Cash

Would you like to get rid of that useless old clunker in your backyard? Junking that old car for cash is a lot easier than you think! This is a cash program that offers you a removal service and cash for your old clunker. This vendor will have a local professional who buy junk cars contact you to arrange a pickup and payment. In most cases, professionals also sell junk cars. You will not only receive cash or your junker quality service and pickup of your junker at your convenience. How convenient is that? You just collect money!

National Survey Says Arizona Fire Depts Impacted by Economy

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:22:28 +0000

Cited: Business Wire

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company sponsored a national survey of firefighters that indicates negative economic effect on Arizona fire departments. The survey was taken by 9500 are departments or 30% of our departments in the country including €109 on a fire departments. The survey was called “Supporting Safer Communities: A National Firefighter Survey.” According to the survey the top challenges in Arizona facing fire departments today are:

Three-quarters of all fire departments believe staffing, recruitment and retention is at least somewhat challenging in the current economic climate.
Seventy-two percent say insufficient gear is at least somewhat challenging and 74% state old/outdated gear is at least somewhat challenging.
Fifty-nine percent of departments have had to increase fundraising efforts and/or grant writing because of budget cutbacks.
Six in ten departments have delayed replacing equipment and three-quarters have delayed purchasing new equipment.
Forty-three percent of departments do not have adequate training when it comes to hazardous materials incidents.

“When you consider that firefighters are the first responders to nearly every fire, medical emergency, and natural or man-made disaster in our local communities, it is imperative that we have adequate funding to ensure we keep our communities safe,” said Jeff Piechura, Northwest Fire District Fire Chief, and Chairman of the Arizona Fire Services Institute. “This study is extremely valuable for both its depth and scope - one that effectively shows the needs of today’s fire service in communities across the country and particularly here in Arizona.”

The study was conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs based in New York, and was available online for six weeks from mid-February to March 31, 2009 to all career and volunteer firefighters. Nearly 17,500 firefighters participated, 61% of which hold the rank of fire official (chief, captain or lieutenant). Full results can be found at www.firemansfund.com/firesurvey.

For those working in an industry where fire can be a work hazard. . . There are online vendors that provide clients with Carhartt workwear at an affordable price. With secure online ordering service that offer customer’s access to Carhartt and Bulwark flame retardant work wear from the comfort of their homes. Some may also embroidery and corporate pricing on purchases of 25 or more pieces with FREE Shipping in the U.S. on orders above $100 and the highest quality service possible!

Not all Arizona findings were grim:

Seventy-five percent of fire departments have adequate extrication equipment needed to safely and quickly remove injured people from a vehicle crash.

Eighty-two percent of departments have at least one thermal imaging camera, considered a critical tool to identify hot spots and locate injured or sleeping persons in a burning building.

“As a company, Fireman’s Fund believes it is extremely important to raise awareness of the needs of local fire departments,” said Chuck Kavitsky, Chairman of Fireman’s Fund. “Supporting the fire service means safer communities. That is why we have focused our philanthropic giving to directing grants to fire departments throughout the country.”

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company’s nationwide philanthropic program is designed to provide needed equipment, training and educational tools to local fire departments. Since 2004, Fireman’s Fund has issued grants to more than 1,100 different departments totaling more than $21 million. Independent insurance agencies that sell Fireman’s Fund products are able to direct these grants to support fire stations in their communities. In the last five years, Fireman’s Fund has issued 23 grants to Arizona fire departments, totaling $183,144.

Ipsos Public Affairs is a non-partisan, objective, survey-based research practice made up of seasoned professionals. Ipsos Public Affairs conducts strategic research initiatives for a diverse number of American and international organizations, based not only on public opinion research, but elite stakeholder, corporate, and media opinion research. Ipsos Public Affairs is a member of the Ipsos Group, a leading global survey-based market research company. To learn more, visit: www.ipsos-pa.com.

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company is a premier property and casualty insurance company providing personal and commercial insurance products nationwide and is a member of the Allianz Group (NYSE:AZ), who provide insurance and financial services around the world.. It is rated ‘AA-’ by Standard & Poor’s Rating Services. It was founded in 1863 with the express purpose of supporting firefighters, Fireman’s Fund continues this effort today through its national philanthropic efforts. For more information, visit www.firemansfund.com.

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My Take: I am very glad that there is somebody out there helping Fireman! Firemen do not get paid enough as it is. Does it still are on the job, feel it is their duty. This makes them honorable men. The same goes for police officers. These two professions are the most underpaid professions in the United States today.

The police and the fire department keep communities alive. In turn, communities should keep police and firefighters happy. It is true that legally neither one of these groups can go on a full, all-out, strike. A full all-out strike is one where nobody is working. Therefore, the only alternative they have is what the police department calls the “blue flu”. It was so named because many police officers uniforms are a dark navy blue. Basically, at least half, if not more, of the working force of either the police or fire department, get sick and cannot come in to work.

Many city governments have started requiring medical proof from employees who are suffering from the “blue flu”. Ironically, almost all of them have the proof. This tells me that the medical profession supports our police departments and our fire departments. If only more of our communities would stand behind these two departments, they would probably have more people working than they do now to save lives.

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Related Resources

Skin Care

A truly unique consumer-oriented site goes beyond marketing and labels to bring you carefully selected natural skin care, organic skin care, cosmetics, aromatherapy, bath and body, soap, hair care and other beauty products. It will offer reputable brands that are reviewed for quality certified-organic and all-natural ingredients, purity and effectiveness. It will feature brands of natural beauty products that are eco-friendly and do not contain petrochemicals, parabens, artificial fragrances, dyes or other potentially unsafe ingredients.

Among contract wholesale cosmetics manufacturing of skin care products and cosmetics products, a desire to serve the demands of the market is needed. By linking their command of chemistry and contract manufacturing to a thorough understanding of the cosmetics and skin care industry, they can help customers seize opportunities, build brands and grow profits. You should be able to see the unique qualities that make that a a company is the world’s finest contract manufacturer of private label skin care products and cosmetics products.

T-shirts

You may make your first online purchase of music shirts because of the designs but you will go back for more once you put it on. A premium knit apparel combined with the precision dye process is breathable, NOT like the cheesy silk screen process. You will find versatile graffiti tee shirts that you can to wear out on the town, the beach, and even to sleep!

Funny T-shirts come in about 60 different designs offered nt styles and colors. This allows you to create a truly custom shirt. In addition to the choices in styles and colors, you can find some styles in sizes up to 4XL.

One online vendor prints to order. You may wonder why they do not print their own shirts as the orders come in, or at least process a day’s worth of orders, on the following day. Silk screening shirts, while providing the highest quality results, is a labor-intensive process. Every time you print a new design, you have to set up the screen or screens for the artwork, do a test print, make sure everything is lined up correctly, and make sure you have all of the ink colors that you need. When you are done, you need to clean and put everything away, and go through the same process for the next cool T-shirt.

Jeans

Dirty jeans have been popular for numerous decades, but with the introduction of dirty denim, they have become the upmost in contemporary fashion for both men and women. Inspired by the vintage denim jeans of the 60’s and 70’s, these jeans are a new level of modern style.

The original premium lo rise jeans are second to none. Check out the skinny, straight and boot cut womens jeans now available and on sale now online. More super low rise denim is coming later this year.

The stretch jeans made for the rock star. Worn by Britney Spears, Danity Kane, Rhianna, Pussycat Dolls among other. Soon to come will be an amazing new collection of mens and womens denim that will push the limits and rock your world.

No Disability Insurance Can Be Costly

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:10:08 +0000

Cited: Dolan Media Newswires Colorado Springs Business Journal

If you do not have disability insurance and get injured or disabled on the job or off, it can be a very big financial impact. In fact, the cost of not having disability insurance can be 20 times your annual salary. Life Foundation and America’s Health Insurance Plans did a study that stated just that. The study looked at various types of income protection that reduce the financial risks of disability as well as the consequences facing people who cannot work because of a disability or injury.

In the absence of insurance, a majority of Americans would have to make “drastic lifestyle changes” in order to cover the costs associated with disabilities, regardless of whether the disability is short- or long-term. The study found that the financial impact - equal to lost income plus expenses - can be as high as nearly $1 million for a 40-year-old single man earning $50,000 annually who suffers a long-term disability lasting until 65. The costs associated with short-term disabilities also can be significant - equaling one to two times income in some cases for a disability lasting two years.

Those hardest hit by the costs are single individuals who do not have a second income to rely on; lower income people, because added expenses are greater relative to the lost income; and those who suffer longer-term disabilities.

More than a quarter of Americans admit they would have difficulty supporting themselves financially immediately after a disability, while 49% would reach that point within a month, according to Life.

“Our experience tells us that if you become disabled and don’t have disability insurance, you’re going to have a very rough go of it. This study quantifies the impact of a disability so working Americans can get a better understanding of financial difficulties they’ll likely face without proper insurance coverage,” said Marvin H. Feldman, president and CEO of the foundation. “Disability insurance provides a financial safety net that can be counted on to replace lost income if you were suddenly out of work due to illness or injury.”

The study also shows that various sources of disability insurance provide valuable income replacement to help cover the high costs of disability. Private disability insurance plans, such as employer-sponsored or individual coverage, can reduce the cost of a disability by 70% to 80% Individual disability coverage, in combination with employer- or government-sponsored insurance programs, can reduce the financial cost of disability by 80% to 95%.

For those employers looking for more payroll options for their employees . . . Your employees are what keep your business ticking, and you can offer a solution that automates all critical functions including benefits management, payroll connectivity, workflow automation, and the hire-to-fire process. You can get employee payroll services that create a comprehensive and paperless HR management environment. You could even offer online payroll services for those employees who work in the field.

The study also makes clear that while government-sponsored disability insurance - either through Workers’ Compensation or Social Security - is available to many working Americans, it can be difficult to qualify for. Workers’ Compensation insurance is limited to disabilities that occur on the job, but a vast majority (90%) of injuries happen outside the workplace, and are therefore not covered by Workers’ Compensation programs. During recent years, only about 45% of initial applications for Social Security benefits have been approved, and the average monthly benefit, $1,062, is barely above the poverty level.

“The Social Security Disability Insurance program can be one source of disability income for many Americans, but this is no guarantee that disabled individuals will be eligible for SSDI,” said Karen Ignagni, President and CEO of AHIP. “Working Americans and their families can benefit from the value that private disability income insurance provides.”

According to the study, it is not just the financial stress that can cause problems when a disabled person is overwhelmed by the expense of medical costs. A person’s self-worth and overall happiness can be directly tied to their financial status. That financial status can possibly cause problems with a person’s disability simply because of the stress. This makes it difficult for a person to get back on their feet to any degree.

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My Take: Every employer is required by law to provide Worker’s Compensation. However, this does not cover the complete costs if the disability or injury is permanent. It may cover equipment such as wheelchairs and walkers if those are needed permanently and it will give you a percentage of your weekly paycheck as compensation.

I think the best thing anybody should do is ask their employer to offer disability insurance that can be deducted from their paychecks on a weekly or biweekly basis. Depending on the insurance, this should not be too much of a burden financially. A person should think of the benefits they will get if they are injured or disabled permanently and cannot work.

Becoming permanently disabled is not something people anticipate. There is always a possibility of becoming permanently injured or disabled. It could happen on the job, on your way to work, on your way home from work or even in your home.

Many young people today have realized that they need to prepare for retirement now. However, they are not anticipating disability in the future. They need to realize that we live in a 50-50 world. There is always that chance that something could go drastically wrong. If they do not have disability insurance for that reason, they may be in a financial crisis.

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Related Resources

Life Insurance

Life Insurance is typically used as a replacement of income that can support the dependants of an insured individual after that person has passed away. In addition to that, primary purpose life insurance can also be used as a powerful savings vehicle as it enjoys significant tax advantages over other traditional forms of savings tools. You might want to look into getting some whole life insurance quotes to help take care of your family.

While you are looking for quotes, you might also look for long term care insurance quotes for yourself and your husband in your golden years. This would lift the burden your family shoulders. Long-term care refers to a broad range of medical and personal services designed to assist people who have lost their ability to function independently. If you are thinking of buying Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI), you will want to make sure it covers the services you may need.

IT Services

Recently, banks, credit bureaus and universities have made the headlines with serious security failures that resulted in digital information getting into the wrong hands. Once you have a security leak, the unauthorized access to your confidential data could be catastrophic.

With Fairfield California managed IT services, you will need to know how information is shared, who has access and what controls govern access to data (Authorization, Authentication, Access control…). Information technology services CA can define security recommendations that identify steps to be taken when unauthorized information access occurs.

Business Financing

At one time, merchants had no alternative to traditional bank small business loans except for outrageously expensive factoring-type financing. These “factoring” companies were thriving at the merchant’s expense because they had no real competition.

You can now get financing for merchants at the lowest possible cost with no “fine print” with CCRF. CCRF (Credit Card Receivable Financing ) is a short-term working capital “Loan” for Visa/MC merchants. The loan amount is based on the merchant’s previous 6 month average (12 months if the business is seasonal) monthly sales volume on Visa/MC. The typical loan amount is 70% -100% of the monthly average. The typical term is 6 months.

Loan is amortized by an automatic daily payment based on the merchant’s Visa/MC sales. The typical daily payment percentage is 15% - 20%. The merchant has the option of using a fixed daily payment instead of percentage of daily sales. You might even call this a merchant cash advance.

Strict Liability

Injuries resulting from alter hazardous activities may result in strict liability towards being brought for which the defendant can be held liable even though the defendant was not negligent and did not actually cause the injury. Strict liability can also be applied to some product liability claims as well as copyright infringement and some trademark cases. Your Portland OR personal injury attorneys would be able to explain strict liability were clearly. In some cases, statutory torts are also considered strict liability including environmental torts. Basically, strict liability is not based on knowledge or intention to cause a wrongful act or even that it violated a standard of care, instead it is focused on the conduct itself or its result.

When Does a Personal Injury Claim Begin?

When you contact North Carolina personal injury attorneys, your personal injury claim will begin and it will end with the conclusion of the case whether with a settlement or the trial concluded with a judgment given. You need to make sure that you file your claim within a specific time period after the accident or illness. Otherwise they become what is called “statute barred” and will not succeed. This time limit varies state to state that is usually approximately 3 years. When you have had an accident, you should consult an attorney while events are fresh in your mind instead of waiting and trying to recall what happened months or years later.

Had a Traffic Accident?

Minor traffic violations can have big consequences if not handled properly including a simple speeding ticket. Depending on the circumstances a person’s license could be suspended for a certain period of time as well as insurance premiums can go up significantly. However, if you have an accident you could be talking to Texas injury attorneys about alternatives to pleading guilty to specific charges on a citation. You will need to carefully consider the alternatives available to determine what is right for you. With an attorney handling the case, you may be able to keep your insurance premiums low and protect your driving record.

CSI Type Services

Everybody has watched the CSI shows on TV. Did you know that there are actually private forensic medical companies that are dedicated to the practice of forensic medicine and pathology? These are the people who will perform a private autopsy in court cases such as wrongful deaths or homicides. They are called medical legal consultants who provide pathological diagnoses of various diseases to patients, hospitals, doctors, lawyers and insurance companies nationally and internationally. Their work is very similar to that of those performed on the CSI shows. In fact, many states like Nebraska have agreements with these companies to provide forensic medical and pathological services to the citizens of other states.

Qualifying For Auto Insurance

An insurance company is required to pull your driving record. This will give them accurate information on your abilities as a driver. With a clean driving record, you will get the best car insurance quote available. If your record is severely marred with accidents, speeding tickets and other violations then your premium is going to be very high no matter what company you choose. In fact, some insurance companies will go so far as to pull your credit report. This will tell them how likely you are to be able to pay your premiums. Remember, with a good clean record, you can get low auto insurance quotes from everybody.

Need Help

Are you looking for an experienced and effective Texas personal injury attorney or personal injury lawyer? One law firm can help you! When you choose this law office to represent you on your personal injury case, you are partnering yourself with a group of attorneys who do not merely dabble in personal injury law, but rather a highly specialized firm that spends all day, every day, winning cases just like yours. If you need help with any personal injury matter, the experienced and dedicated staff in this law firm is here to help you!

Bicycling Accidents

The popularity of bicycling has increased dramatically over the past 30 years and so have the injuries. Many of these injuries have been caused by the neglect of operators of vehicles such as cars and trucks and SUVs. You may not need a group of Los Angeles injury attorneys, but they are all available to assist you. In fact, nearly 20,000 bicyclists in the US die each year because of a bicycle accident. These accidents cannot only be cards by vehicles but by pedestrians, defective bicycle components and even defective safety equipment. This means you may need one of the Los Angeles personal injury attorneys for yourself if you run a bicycle. Under California law, you can seek damages for medical bills, lost wages, pain and suffering as well as emotional distress.

Exercise during Pregnancy Can Benefit Both Mom and Baby

Star Breaker Fact Reporter — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:53:28 +0000

Cited: HealthDay

Doctors around the world will tell a new mother to keep active during her pregnancy. The main reason is that it will make delivery much easier on the woman. However, experts now say that it also will benefit a baby. Of course, a new mother might be a little unsure of exercising while she is pregnant because she does not want to harm the baby. A woman’s body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy and it is only natural that women worry. Medical experts now say that a good exercise program is in the best interest of the mother and the child.

“We know that women who exercise during pregnancy have less chance of developing certain conditions like gestational diabetes,” said Dr. Raul Artal, Chairman of Obstetrics, gynecology and women’s health for the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. “Not only that, exercise maintains musculoskeletal fitness. Women can cope with the anatomical and physiological changes of pregnancy better when they’re in good shape. They also tolerate labor better and recover more quickly from delivery.”

The baby also benefits. One study found that when an expectant mother works out, her fetus reaps cardiac benefits in the form of lower fetal heart rates. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommends that pregnant women do at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day most days of the week. First, though, all women should consult a doctor to make sure it is OK.

When choosing what sort of exercise to pursue, a woman should take into account the shape she was in before becoming pregnant, said Dr. Thomas Wang, a family practitioner for Kaiser Permanente in San Diego. “A lot of things depend on the level of fitness they had before,” Wang said. A mom-to-be should pursue activities that will provide a good level of exertion without testing the limits of her body’s current conditioning. If she is just starting a fitness program to improve her health during pregnancy, she should start out slowly and be careful not to overexert herself.

However, there are certain activities that should at least be undertaken with caution, if not avoided altogether. Pregnant women, for instance, should not go scuba diving, as that activity exposes the fetus to a risk of developing decompression sickness, also known as the bends.

Women also should think twice before engaging in activities where the risk of falling is higher, such as gymnastics, horseback riding, downhill skiing and high-intensity racquet sports. In addition, they should avoid contact sports such as ice hockey, soccer and basketball.

“Anything that involves impact or the chance of abdominal trauma, they should try to avoid,” Wang explained.

Exercise that is perfectly safe for expectant mothers includes Kegel exercises, swimming, walking, light dancing and yoga. Riding a stationary bicycle or working out on aerobic gym equipment — elliptical or stair-climbing machines, for instance — is also fairly safe, as long as care is taken to prevent a fall. Most pregnant women also can take part in jogging, running and aerobics, especially if those were exercises they regularly performed before pregnancy.

Pregnant women who are doing weight training should emphasize improving their muscle tone, particularly in the upper body and abdominal area, according to the American Pregnancy Association. They should avoid lifting weights above their heads and performing exercises that strain the lower back muscles.

“There have been some studies that show heavy lifting causes a temporary drop in the baby’s heart rate,” Wang said. “It usually corrects pretty quickly, but they might want to be careful.”

For those women who are pregnant and would like to start an exercise program . . . There is the exercises with Pilates on all Pilate’s equipment and Pilates DVDs, right at your fingertips! Pilates offers many benefits by focusing on alignment, proper biomechanics and symmetry of movement. Good posture is key to achieving good body awareness. Exercises for building body awareness and strengthening appropriate muscle groups can be helpful during pregnancy.

Other things to keep in mind if exercising while pregnant:

Avoid exercising to the point of exhaustion or breathlessness, as that could affect the oxygen supply to the fetus.
Avoid overheating, which can affect the baby’s development. Do not exercise in hot weather.
During the second and third trimesters, avoid exercise that involves lying flat on your back as this decreases blood flow to the womb.

Though that might seem like a lot of cautions for something that’s supposed to be safe, doctors insist that women can and should engage in a well-thought-out fitness program during their pregnancy.

“By and large, if there are no medical complications of pregnancy, women can continue engaging in the same type of activities,” Artal said. “Women should be encouraged to continue living an active lifestyle.”

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My Take: I think every pregnant woman should exercise in some way, to some degree. It makes the delivery so much easier and you have to use fewer drugs during the process, which is better for the infant. The baby will also be much healthier once it is born if the mother exercises during the pregnancy.

Think back in history and consider how women handled pregnancy. The average woman worked hard all day long to provide a clean home and clean laundry for her family. Some women worked in the fields helping their husbands bring in crops while pregnant and sometimes gave birth on the field. All of these women, after birth, would get up and go right back to what they were doing during pregnancy and their babies were healthy. What is even stranger is, these women usually went through their pregnancy with very few, if any, doctors visits.

Of course, those women that were well off usually got pampered while they were pregnant. The consequence of this was that there children were not always as healthy when born. As opposed to a farmer’s wife, a woman who was married to a rich man, usually had regular doctors visits during pregnancy.

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Related Resources:

Baby Teeth

As a new mother, you may not be looking for a Chino Hills dentist for a while but before you know it, those baby teeth are going to start popping in. Then you need to worry about baby bottle tooth decay or syndrome that is a form of tooth decay it can destroy the teeth of an infant. This decay may even enter bone structure, which could hamper development of the permanent teeth. The teeth most likely to be damaged are the upper teeth. Baby bottle decay is caused by frequent and long exposure of a child’s teeth to liquids containing sugar such as milk, formula, fruit juices, pop and other sweetened liquids. These liquids fuel the bacteria in a child’s mouth, which produces acids attack enamel. It would be a good idea that once those teeth start showing up you start looking for an Upland CA dentist.

Pampering a New Mom or Mom-to-Be

Get her an Alexandria cleaning service, one that is more than just a “cleaning lady.” Pamper her with a maid service with the experience of providing top-shelf house cleaning services and home cleaning services to the individual and public sector, where quality and customer care are the hallmarks of their company’s long-term goals. One that will provide the comfort and security that will give her the leisure time that she deserves. There are only a few Virginia cleaning services that can provide this type of quality service.

Medical Equipment

It is highly recommended that any woman considering a good exercise program while pregnant should visit a doctor. There are many pieces of cardiovascular medical equipment that a doctor may use when examining a pregnant woman, one of those is the LifeDop L150. It has increased probe sensitivity with comfortable easy-to-hold probes, 2MHz, 2MHz Waterproof, 3MHz, and Echo Heart Transvaginal. Superior sound quality and probe sensitivity eases the exam. This also includes a fetal heart monitor that enables the physician to monitor the function of the heart during fetal development.

Social Pressure to Conform

NJoy is currently available across the United States and in 25 foreign countries and, through the online convenience offered by vendors various that can ship your e-cigarette and smokeless tobacco products and electronic cigarette cartridges anywhere on the planet. The e-cigarette from NJoy looks, feels, and tastes like a regular cigarette or cigar, but, because it gives off no second-hand smoke and emits no significant odor, it is the best electronic cigarette you can purchase. With governments around the world focusing on smoking bans, consumers are searching for ways to conform their smoking habits to regulations and laws. They need look no further.

Understanding Nutrition

A proper diet for anyone who exercises or is a sports-minded person begins with the correct specialty food selection. The food pyramid is an intelligent and very useful way to start to set up your nutrition plan. You should understand the rules for a balanced and healthy diet are valid for any type of athlete includes organic multivitamins. Nutritional health is very important. Our nutrients decide our health. Taken all things together they can also determine if we become super athletes or end up as a couch potato. They also are responsible for our physical appearance and our athletic skills. They are also crucial for having a robust mind and a fit body due to the fact that these nutrient elements fuel just about all bodily functions.

Wedding Services

One service retailer can provide elegant and affordable San Diego CA wedding decorations, linens and floral designs for your special event in San Diego or anywhere in Southern California. No matter how big or small your event is, they can make your dream decorations and floral designs come true at an affordable price. They can provide San Diego CA wedding chair covers, sashes, floor length tablecloths, table runners and overlays. They have every color and style imaginable. They can even provide gorgeous backdrop decorations for the bride and groom, band or DJ and cake stage.

Holistic Weight Loss

One doctor believes in holistic approach to weight loss and healthy body. He treats and rejuvenates the whole body that has proven time and again over the years to be the best method for losing weight, getting healthy and staying healthy. He has developed weight loss products that are all natural and are now available to the general public. These natural diet pills are available through his company Denmark Laboratories. For 10 years these have only been available to his patients and our available to everyone who can benefit from the. They have been clinically shown to be safe and effective.