M. A. SMITH
A PROFESSIONAL LAW CORPORATION
Michael A. Smith, Attorney at Law
E-mail: masaplc@hotmail.com
319 E. Foothill Blvd., #C Voice - (626) 357-1177
Arcadia, CA 91006 Facsimile - (626) 357-4588
November 2005 No. 6
IT’S THE LAW...
You MUST turn on your lights when using your windshield wipers. Tickets are bing issued for those who do not comply with this new law.
CHANGES IN THE LAW
Employers seeking waivers of age discrimination claims in accordance with the Older Workers’ Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA), must now explain not only who has been selected for layoff, but why selections were made, according to the U. S. Court of Appeals, Tenth District.
GPS DEVICES
We’ve all heard about those wonderful little devices that keep us from getting lost. There are several models on the market providing an array of services:
The Magellan RoadMate 760 is small in size but has a 20 gig HD which stores nearly 7 million points of interest. This unit is for the person who travels a great deal.
The Palm GPS Navigator works with a Bluetooth Palm;
The Microsoft Streets & Trips works with a Windows laptop and would probably work great for “around town” travel.
Cost ranges from $150 and more.
MORE ON GPS
Norwich Union began tracking 5,000 customers by placing GPS receivers in the trunks of their cars. Data from the devices is being used to adjust drivers’ insurance premiums on a month-to-month basis. They’re calculating everything from speed and acceleration to braking too early or too late. So far, data has been collected on about 1 million journeys and statisticians are using the data to recalculate insurance tables.
This technology will be made available to auto customers next year, hoping the feedback will lead to fewer accidents.
BENEFITS OF CRANBERRIES
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death in most industrialized countries. Cranberries have been evaluated for their potential roles in the dietary prevention of CVD.
DID YOU KNOW...
apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.
most dust particles in your house are made from dead skin.
no piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven times.
all polar bears are left handed, or is that left pawed. Thanks Linda C
DISASTER READINESS
Despite spending millions of dollars on crisis management drills and dozens of plans to deal with earthquakes and other calamities, emergency preparedness agencies have done little to plan for mass displacement and destruction (similar to that caused by Katrina) across the southland, according to state and local authorities. Detailed plans to deal with a massive emergency have not been developed since the end of the cold war.
A 7.5 magnitude earthquake on the Puente Hills fault could kill as many as 18,000 people, injure up to 268,000 and displace as many as 735,000 families.
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake on the Newport-Inglewood fault would block freeways, sharply curtail flights at LAX, reduce hospital bed availability by 1/3 and knock out major power plants for days.
A quake on either of these faults, which stretch for miles through densely populated areas, would make the Northridge earthquake look like it was a mild displacement.
Local agencies are required by state law to develop detailed disaster relief and evacuation plans and set up a structure to ensure the agencies responsible for emergency assistance can communicate properly.
In order to survive in the event you are displaced from your home, you should have a survival kit set up and in an “easy to access” location. The kit should contain enough supplies and tools to carry your entire family, including pets, for seven days.
You should also have a kit in your car and another at work, in case you get stuck away from home.
Contact your city management for a copy of their emergency preparedness plan and guidelines. Ask about a list of necessary items for your kits and be prepared.
CREDIT REPORTS
Would you like a copy of your credit report? The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) approved a rule allowing consumers to receive a free copy of their credit report from each of the major credit reporting agencies every 12 months. Until recently, consumers had to pay for their credit reports.
The FTC’s ruling forced the three major credit bureaus (Experian, Equifax and Trans Union) to create a “centralized source” for accepting credit report requests. The service is accessible via telephone (877/322-8228); the web (www.annualcreditreport.com); and by mail (Credit Report Service, POB 105281, Atlanta, GA 30348-5281).
WORD OF THE MONTH
The word for October is thanks which The American Heritage Dictionary defines as: (thangks) Grateful feelings or thoughts; gratitude.
Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
Celebrating a birthday this month?
_ Happy birthday to you! _
COMMENTS OR SUGGESTIONS?
Call Paula at (626) 357-1177 or e-mail her at paulasmith1000@hotmail.com. We’d love to hear from you.