Tuesday, November 30, 2010

5 Great Places to Take a Woman on a Date to in New York City

As the largest city in the United States population wise New York City has plenty of beautiful women for a man to date.

However, some men get a mental block when it comes to things to do and where to take a woman on a date. With that in mind, below you will find a list of 5 great places to take a woman on a date to in New York City.


Central Park Conservancy Tour- Taking her on a tour like this allows both of you to discover the park's history, design and ecology. Also feel free to wander off together on you own and discover the park in your own special way.
Brooklyn Botanic Garden- A 52-acre living museum where beauty, romance and fun is already in place before the two of you even get there which means all you have to do is join in on the fun with her.
Tour of the Grand Central Area- You and the woman of your dreams at the moment can explore the architecture and social history of the Grand Central Area.
National Museum of the American Indian- The tow of you can explore Native American arts, artifacts, film and photography at a price that can't beat; Free!
Wave Hill- Enjoy spectacular views of the Hudson River at Wave Hill which is an acclaimed public garden and cultural institution which overlooks the Hudson and Palisades.

As a man, living in a city as big as this one you quite literally have an endless amount of options when it comes to places to take a woman on a date. Yet, once you learn what it takes to actually attract women you will soon begin to realize that it doesn't matter where you take her because what she really wants is to be with you.

Monday, November 29, 2010

NY ACCIDENTS - Who Is Watching My Kid At The Pool?

It's Memorial Day today and I'm sitting at our pool looking around at the new group of lifeguards who watch the pool. The weather is great today and the pool is busier than usual because of the wonderful weather. The kids are off from school and their friends are all in the pool having fun.

How many times have you seen parents view the pool as a chance to socialize and not pay attention to their kids in the pool? I see it constantly. Just look around at how many young children are in the pool. Look to see if you can match up those parents in the shallow end with each child in the pool. Invariably, there will be parents sitting on a lounge chair reading or chatting away, thinking that the lifeguards will be there to watch their kids for them if the worst should happen.

Let's take a look at the lifeguards. These are typically young kids, some no more than teenagers. Depending on where you live, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, New York City, or Staten Island, lifeguards are required to take certain lifeguarding classes with a specified amount of time required for lifesaving. If they pass the final test, then they are qualified to lifeguard anywhere in the five boroughs of New York for a period of three years. Interestingly, in Nassau County, a lifeguard who takes the lifeguarding class must then take an additional and more rigorous lifeguarding exam to become qualified to be certified as a lifeguard in Nassau County. In addition, if you want to lifeguard at a Nassau County beach, I understand that the requirements for becoming a lifeguard are even more rigorous than for a pool.

Regardless of the qualifications and credentials of each lifeguard at your pool, it is still my opinion, that you, the parent, have an obligation to watch your own child at the pool. Why do I say this? Because the lifeguards get distracted during the day. Especially when it gets busy. I have seen many instances where the lifeguard was looking elsewhere and a child was in distress and having difficulty swimming. By the time the lifeguard recognized the problem, a parent jumped in to save the child.

Now, don't get me wrong- I think lifeguards do a great job. In fact, my eldest son is going to be a lifeguard this summer. However, as a parent, you can never entrust the safety of your child to someone who has a responsibility to oversee and protect many people in a pool. I believe that you must be ever-vigilant at poolside. Put aside your desire to socially interact, or do so while keeping a direct and close view of your child. Doing so, in my opinion, will minimize the risk of something bad happening while your child is swimming. Remember, lifeguards are not babysitters for your child in the pool. They react to people in distress. They do not take a pro-active role. It is the parent's job to be pro-active in watching their child.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Bun B - Right Now Feat. 2Pac, Pimp C & Trey Songz (New Trill OG July 2010 Music Video)

NEW 2PAC TUPAC, MAKAVELI, TREY SONGZ, PIMP C & BUN B JULY/AUGUST 2010!extra tags: new akon t-pain lil wayne rihanna dj khaled maroon 50 cent ti 07jul08 dnc records kanye west lil wayne jay-z akon timbaland rihanna t-pain ti ne-yo akon lil wayne rihanna linkin park 50 cent maroon 5 ice cube the game akon lil wayne rihanna 50 cent linkin park maroon 5 daddy yankee 07jul08 22jul08 hichem & iman gorilla zoe lil wayne akon t-pain maroon 5 50 cent rihanna nas linkin park madona britney spears shakira kelly rowland r.kelly daddy yankee don omar wisin yandel lil wayne nelly rick ross dj khaled fat joe trick daddy pitbull plies flo rida elevator low t-pain daddy yankee akon lil wayne t-pain don omar rihanna jay-z 07jul08 hichem & iman dnc records akon lil wayne timbaland linkin park rihanna soulja boy 50 cent 07jul08 hichem & iman dnc records tupac is alive ! brand new shit brand new lil wayne NEW SHIT JUST GOT OUT 2008 LEAVE A COMMENT IF U WANT THE SONG ! new lil wayne rnb4u Chris brown featuring the game g-unit juelz santana 50 cent timbaland ti tq i dont know soldier lil wayne t-paine akon azad hnnover berlin germany american movie clip music gta song 4 football rugby döhren best new neu yeni hakan sükür galatasaray sampion kurdistan pkk bloods new york washington harlem brooklyn american historie x sido augen auf halt dein maul sure situation alphabet gletscher Lil wayne lollipop Kanye West rap r&b t-pain official remix full length afropik.com afropik music lil wayne kanye ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Fd_6hgpltc&hl=en

Saturday, November 27, 2010

The Top 5 Devastating Floods to Hit New York

Flooding has caused a wide-range of disasters in the state of New York. Not only has the city seen some major property damage and even death, but also the surrounding suburbs. Just this month, a water main break in Niagara Falls caused major flood damage to over 30 homes in the Lasalle neighborhood. With it's close proximity to a variety of water sources, potential for inclement weather and historic buildings, it is no wonder that water has been the cause of so much destruction in the area. Our team has put together a summary of what we consider the top 5 worst flood damage events in the last 200 years of New York history.

1889: Winter Weather Storm
On January 10, 1889, a winter storm caused major flooding from Buffalo to Brooklyn. Most of the destruction was centered around Niagara Falls where rising water and strong winds destroyed businesses around the Falls. Extensive property restoration was needed to salvage wet photographs at the Dotterich's Photography Gallery after the storm.

1913: Spring Storm
In March of 1913, Luthem, Fort Edwards and several other New York cities were overcome with as much as 10 feet of water after a spring storm swept through the state. Two people were reported to drown during the ordeal. The storm caused power outages, closed schools and businesses and a halt to public transportation. Roadways connecting towns were underwater stranding residents in their homes. The rescue efforts were incredibly difficult for law enforcement and police officers who were forced to use boats to get to stranded citizens.

1938: The Great Hurricane
When the Great Hurricane of 1938 hit in mid-September, the heavy rains pushed rivers and streams past flood-stage for two full days. Unfortunately, the severity of the storm was downplayed even as it neared the area. New York residents as well as other parts of the Northeast were unprepared for the hurricane and suffered tremendous loss and damage because of it. The hurricane ultimately became a category 4 storm with winds of 38 mph. The East River overflowed, flooding several blocks and causing steam pipes under the city to burst.

2006: June Flooding
Heavy rains hit New York and the Mid-Atlantic States in June 2006 causing area rivers, lakes and streams to flood. The Susquehanna River crested at 14 feet above the flood-stage. As many as 5,000 residents in certain areas were evacuated and two lives were lost. Roads, homes, and businesses flooded, causing a large number of companies to close their doors for good. Flood damage restoration technology, however, was utilized heavily after this storm to restore important business documents and personal property, a service not as readily available during earlier major disasters. All total, the flood cost the state over $100 million dollars.

2007: August Torrential Rain
The transit system in New York City was brought to a near standstill when torrential rains hit in August of 2007. The subway stations were flooded with water as it poured in from the city streets. The resulting affect on business was not damage to documents and technology but rather to productivity. Employees were unable to get to work for a couple of days as commuters were stranded in their homes and at various subway stations. The storm pointed to a severe vulnerability in the transit system of the Big Apple.

Over time, New York businesses and residents have gotten smarter about preparing for natural disasters and water damage prevention. Major disasters like these have taught valuable lessons about listening to weather reports, preparing for rising waters and developing disaster recovery plans.

~Flora Richards-Gustafson, 2009

Friday, November 26, 2010

Alain Badiou. The Event of Truth. 2002 1/7

www.egs.edu Alain Badiou speaking about truth, truth as a relation of appropriateness between intellect and the thing intellected, truth in the form of a proposition, judgment, historic destiny, truth, cognition, science, techne, knowledge, reason and understanding, truth as a process, Martin Heidegger and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Public open video lecture for the faculty and students of the European Graduate School, Media Studies Department Program, EGS, Saas-Fee, Switzerland, Europe, 2006. Alain Badiou. Alain Badiou, born 1937, in Rabat, Morocco is a prominent French Left-wing philosopher. Alain Badiou, Ph.D, Rene Descartes Chair at EGS, was a student at the école Normale Supérieure in the 1950s. He taught at the University of Paris VIII (Vincennes-Saint Denis) from 1969 until 1999, when he returned to ENS as the Chair of the philosophy department. He continues to teach a popular seminar at the Collège International de Philosophie, on topics ranging from the great antiphilosophers Saint-Paul,Paul the Apostle, Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jacques Lacan to the major conceptual innovations of the twentieth century. Much of Badiou's life has been shaped by his dedication to the consequences of the May 1968 revolt in Paris. Long a leading member of Union des jeunesses communistes de France (marxistes-léninistes), he remains with Sylvain Lazarus and Natacha Michel at the centre of L'Organisation Politique, an organization concerned with direct ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrJfghN9qPM&hl=en

Thursday, November 25, 2010

A High-End Touch to Kitchen Remodeling Without Spending Much

Having dethroned the living room as the new hub and heart of every home, kitchens of today can be said to be a far cry from what they used to be some decades back. A beautiful modern kitchen creates a renewed quality of living that is up several antes. Aside from this improvement in lifestyle, investing in such venture can also prove to be profitable by considerably boosting New York property value.

Thus, kitchen remodeling is truly one project worth splurging on.Having dethroned the living room as the new hub and heart of every home, kitchens of today can be said to be a far cry from what they used to be some decades back. A beautiful modern kitchen creates a renewed quality of living that is up several antes. Aside from this improvement in lifestyle, investing in such venture can also prove to be profitable by considerably boosting New York property value. Thus, kitchen remodeling is truly one project worth splurging on. To add a high-end touch to your renovation finish, here are tips ideal whether you are in Staten Island, Long Island, Manhattan, Brooklyn, or Queens.

Too much of anything ends up to still be a bad thing. This also goes well with kitchen remodeling. Wanting a luxurious look and feel does not necessarily mean having all the most pricey supplies and items integrated into the project. This article lays out several things you can do to add that wanted high-end touch without having to spend as much:

RTA Cabinets

RTA cabinets have hit popularity for a very good reason and this is all the benefits that it offers without breaking the bank. Compared with their traditional counterparts, these products can be bought and integrated into your kitchen remodeling for a fraction of the expenses. Coming in all materials and price range, you can buy the mot luxurious hardwood for a great price. You can choose from a wide range of premium collections like Mocha Shaker, Honey Maple, Oakland Auburn, and other rich glazes to grace your homes with beauty and functionality for many years ahead. The initial cost of buying such plus the considerable cutback on labor cost makes RTA cabinets truly luxurious yet economical for your kitchen remodeling.

Stainless Steel Sinks

Stainless steel sinks are more than just a shiny and flashy way to create a design statement in your kitchen remodeling. Other than giving the heart of your home a sleek and chic appeal, these items also offer benefits like:


Low maintenance and easy to clean
Stain-resistant
Lightweight-they do not need additional support
Fashionable and versatile that can complement well with many countertop materials from tiles, stone or quartz solid surface, wood, and laminate
The right gauged stainless steel can afford your kitchen remodeling project, sinks to last

Solid Surface Countertops

Seamless and oozing with an exquisite appeal, solid surface countertops have become a popular addition to kitchen remodeling projects. The very first question to address if you decide to get solid surface for your countertop is whether to go for natural stone or for an engineered material. Your synthetic choice, also known as quartz, brandishes a beautiful surface. A quartz countertop can look like the well-loved granite but will have a more even texture. It also offers a lot of other colors and designs to choose from. Like natural stone, engineered quartz are highly durable and can stand up to the changing conditions and hard labor in the kitchen. But unlike natural stone, this choice entails less maintenance.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Mafia 2009

The current bosses of the Mafia who control the New York Underworld



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYeLWeDCHPo&hl=en

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Monday, November 22, 2010

Sunday, November 21, 2010

How Much Money Is Your Malpractice Case Worth?

Every injured victim that walks into a lawyers office wants to know how much their case is worth. Some don't really care about the money; some want revenge. Some want the doctor's license revoked; some want the hospital punished. Then again, some want total and full compensation.

"YOUR CASE IS WORTH $2 MILLION DOLLARS," says Jim Bob, Lawyer extraordinaire. "Oh no, your case is worth more than that," says lawyer Dewey Cheatem. "Just sign right here with me and I promise you I'll get you millions!" screeched the TV advertising lawyer.

Whatever the motivation, a civil lawsuit for medical malpractice and personal injury seeks money for the injured victim. But how are you to know how much your injury is worth?

The answer is not so easy to answer, and here's why...

If you listen to each of those attorneys above, they all promise you something that they can't do. How do I know? Just ask each of them to put that guarantee IN WRITING. They'll never do it. That I guarantee!

In every State, and in every County there are multiple factors that go into the mix to determine what your case is worth. It is important to remember that no two cases or injuries are the same. Having said that, I'm going to explain the basics:

1. Economic loss: This one is easy. How much money did you lose because you were injured? Were you out of work for days, weeks or months? Did your employer pay your salary during that time? If not, you can calculate the amount of money you would have been paid had you not been injured.

What if you have a permanent disability that prevents you from working in the future? Well, now things get a little more complicated. Your lawyer will need to hire an economist to predict what your earnings would have been for years into the future. He will also have to predict what perqs and benefits you'd have received if you worked to retirement age.

This gives us hard numbers that we can use to show the extent of your permanent injury.

But what if you didn't lose time or money from work? What if you were a housewife (or househusband), or unemployed at the time of the injury? Does that mean that you're not entitled to collect any economic loss? Yes. But all is not lost. There is still pain and suffering, and possible claims for loss of services that I'll explain in a moment.

2. Pain & Suffering: How do we know that your fractured hip in Brooklyn, New York is worth the same as in Cincinnati, Ohio? Your lawyer is usually able to do research which will tell him (or her) what similar cases have settled for or resulted in jury verdicts and appeals.

Here are important points to know which will help you answer the original question, 'how much is your case worth?':

1. What is your race or nationality?

2. What town do you live in?

3. What is the race or nationality of the people you have sued?

4. What County have you brought your lawsuit in?

5. How old are you?

6. What is your life expectancy (based upon statistical tables)?

7. How long were you in the hospital?

8. Over what period of time have you received medical care for your injuries?

9. What problems do you still have from your malpractice?

10. How are you disabled or limited from doing those daily activities that you used to be able to do?

11. Do you have kids?

In the case of an 80 year old woman who fractures her leg, her case has less value than say, a 35 year old executive who lost 1 month from work, was in the hospital for 3 weeks and now limps from the injury.

Take a look at a recent settlement in New York City...

It involved a young man who had both legs amputated when the Staten Island Ferry crashed because of negligence of the crew. The City of New York decided that this injury was worth almost $9 Million dollars. This was one of the largest settlements ever for an injured victim in New York. Why is his injury worth more than a family who lost their father when doctors misdiagnosed his lung cancer?

The answers can be confusing. The answer can also depend on which lawyer you hire and how experienced he (or she) is in negotiating and trying cases.

So beware the lawyer who tells you what your case is worth as soon as you walk in the door. A thorough investigation of your case, your injuries, your disabilities and limitations all go into the mix to determining what your case is worth. Even then, there's no guarantee you can get that magical number. But try you must. Remember, keep an open mind and ask your lawyer lots of questions.

Friday, November 19, 2010

Michael Jordan - American Basketball Hero

Today Michael Jordan is a part-owner and Managing Member of Basketball Operations of the Charlotte Bobcats in North Carolina. He is divorced from his wife Jaunita; the couple has three grown children, Jeffrey, Marcus and Jasmine. It is reported that Juanita received a $168 million settlement, making it the largest celebrity divorce settlement in history on public record, according to celebrity magazines.

Michael Jordan, born in 1963, in Brooklyn, New York, grew up in North Carolina. He started out his stellar basketball career at the famed University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 1982 he led the team to a National Championship. This accomplishment landed Michael Jordan and teammate Sam Perkins on the cover a 1983 Sports Illustrated magazine cover; it would not be his last. In 1984 he became a professional basketball player, joining the NBA's Chicago Bulls team.

From the start Michael Jordan was a league star, entertaining crowds with his prolific scoring. His leaping ability, illustrated by performing slam dunks from the free throw line earned him the nickname "Air Jordan." He also gained a reputation for being one of the best defensive players in basketball.

In 1991, he won his first NBA championship with the Bulls, and followed that achievement with titles in 1992 and 1993; fans called the triple accomplishment a "three-peat." To read more about Michael Jordan's championships with the Chicago Bulls, read sports magazines like Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine, Sports Weekly and The Sporting News magazine.

Jordan abruptly retired from basketball at the beginning of the 1993-94 NBA season to pursue a career in baseball. He rejoined the Bulls in 1995 and led them to three additional championships (1996, 1997 and 1998) as well as an NBA-record 72 regular-season wins in the 1995-96 season. Jordan retired for a second time in 1999, but returned for two more NBA seasons in 2001 as a member of the Washington Wizards.

Jordan's individual accolades include five MVP awards, 10 All-NBA First Team designations, nine All-Defensive First Team honors, 14 NBA All-Star Game appearances, three All-Star Game MVP awards, 10 scoring titles, three steals titles, six NBA Finals MVP awards, and the 1988 NBA Defensive Player of the Year Award.

He also holds the NBA records for highest career regular-season scoring average (30.12 points per game) and highest career playoff scoring average (33.4 points per game). In 1999, ESPN named him the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century, and was second to Babe Ruth on the Associated Press's list of athletes of the century, which ran in many magazines.

Jordan is also noted for his product endorsements. During his career he was one of the most effectively marketed athletes of his generation. This recognition was instrumental in popularizing the NBA around the world in the 1980s and 1990s.

At the height of his career he was a major spokesman for brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, Chevrolet, McDonald's, Wheaties and Hanes to name a few. A couple of his most-famous commercials include the "Like Mike" commercials for Gatorade and a commercial for his signature shoe, Air Jordan, by Nike, featuring legendary film director Spike Lee.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

That Night Trailer (starring Emily Deschanel)

That Night (2005) A short film by New York based Director, Steven Gordon. Amidst the pulsing NYC underground rock n' roll scene two young lovers, Annie (Emily Deschanel) and Thomas (Derek Cecil) cross paths at a Brooklyn loft party and disappear off into the night to explore each other. Le sigh, the movie is nowhere to be found. If someone has a link, please pm me :)



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRAccWnqvfE&hl=en

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Alcohol, Nightclubs, and College Students: A Lethal Cocktail

Drugs and alcohol are the most common substances abused by teenagers. Alcoholism, also know as alcohol dependence, has symptoms such as craving, loss of control, loss of memory, physical dependence, and increasing tolerance. Approximately, 10 million current drinkers are under the age of 21, about 4 million are binge drinkers; including 2 million who are heavy drinkers all of them are between the ages of 16-21 years old.

One in three college students now drinks solely to get drunk. About 30% of women in college reported poor grades with the increased use of alcohol and drugs, and 60% of college women diagnosed with a sexually transmitted disease contacted while they were drunk.

The absence of ongoing oversight by parents and caretakers offers college students the freedom to makes choices, develop personality, and to engage in social experiment. These are all natural and necessary path to adulthood. However, the road to adulthood also create an environment that is susceptible to crime and victimization. Which may include opportunity for drug and alcohol abuse, sexual assault, and hate crimes all common on today's college campuses and the surrounding communities.

Statistics that support the wide-spread use and abuse of alcohol by teenagers and college students are readily available. This is also true for alcohol-related crimes and anti-social behaviors on college campuses across the nation. However, statistics on crimes against college students, especially women, off campus are not so available. In many large urban cities bars and nightclubs are increasing at a very rapid pace; and their economic survival depends successfully reaching out to the younger patrons, including college students. These establishments act as a magnet for many college students who find them more attracted than the traditional college hing-out. The problem is that many of these nightspots are hunting grounds for hard-core criminals, pimps and predators seeking susceptible and available victims, especially those under the influence of alcohol.

A recent study showed that intoxicated people are more vulnerable to violent crime because they exhibit more risk-taking behaviors. For example, they are more likely to go out alone at night, visit places where violence is most likely to occur, and intoxicated individuals have impaired cognitive problem-solving abilities. In other words, these individuals will go places and things that they sober peers would not do; or they would not do when sober.

While doing the research for this article, the local television news station announced that the police had recover the body of the college student who was reported missing, three days ago after a night of drinking at a popular New York City nightclub. In the past few years New York City seems to have more than its share of violent acts against young women after a night on the town. An examination of recent crime statistics shows that New York City is at its safest in recent memory. However, the discovery of another dead student suggests that it is not very safe for young women drinking in nightclubs and bars late at night.

This latest victim of New York City night life is Jennifer Moore, 18-year old, of Harrington Park, New Jersey. Jennifer Moore was murdered just five months after a female graduate student went missing after leaving a popular bar in SoHo. The student, Imette St. Guillen 24, had been drinking alone, in a bar called the Falls, until closing time. Her naked body was discovered the next day wrapped in a quilt in a swampy area near Belt Parkway in Brooklyn New York. Darryl Littlejohn 41, a bouncer employed at the Falls a career criminal, had been charged with the murder. Draymond Coleman, 34, another career criminal, and a pimp is accused of beating and strangling Jennifer Moore to death inside a Weekhawken hotel. Her body was found in a trash bin in a parking lot, in a squalid area in New Jersey across the Hudson River, West New York.

Further research and we find other cases of similar circumstances involving alcohol and the murder of young women. Last October, Tabitha Perez, a 24 year old saleswoman from the Bronx, was shot and killed outside the Viva a bar in upper Manhattan. In April, a 21- year-old woman from Newark, New Jersey, Jessica Martinez, was struck by a car while crossing the West Side Highway after leaving a nearby nightclub where she had been drinking. Another New Jersey college student, Mark Fisher, 19, was killed in 2003 after a night of partying in Manhattan and Brooklyn, ending with him alone among strangers, two of whom were convicted in the robbery and murder.

According to recent studies, New York City has been under the spotlight due to a sharp increase in bars and nightclubs, but a greater number of homicides occur in other boroughs. Shootings on Saturday nights outside nightclubs in less affluent neighborhoods in Queens, Brooklyn, and the Bronx is a regular occurrence.

Andrew Karmen, a sociology professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that "the drug most implicated with violence is alcohol." Being under the influence of alcohol has been shown numerous times to raise the risk of being either a victim or an offender.

Monday, November 15, 2010

Quick Tips On How To Find a NY Medical Malpractice Lawyer

How do you find a medical malpractice lawyer in New York?

That's almost like asking the rhetorical question, "How do you get to Carnegie Hall?" The answer of course is "practice."

When looking for a medical malpractice lawyer in the State of New York, here are your varied options:

1. Look in the yellow pages

2. Get a name from a billboard

3. Call your local bar association (not the place where people drink, rather the place where lawyers belong, and usually have a lawyer referral service)

4. Get a name from a friend

5. Get a name from someone who was satisfied with their malpractice lawyer

6. Do an online search

"Which is the best way to find a lawyer?" The answer is 'all of them'.

Here's what I mean. Each method above has it's risks and benefits. The key is trying to find an attorney who is experienced in handling a case like yours, and one that you feel comfortable with.

Dilemmas using each of the methods above include,

(1) Trying to distinguish one lawyer from another in the yellow pages.

They all pretty much say the same thing. So how do you know which full-page ad lawyer is right for you? It's really difficult- even for an experienced lawyer to tell the firms apart.

(2) The same problem arises from a billboard.

Sure the billboard may capture your attention, but does a photo of a crashed car and an injured victim tell you what type of lawyer or law firm you're dealing with?

(3) When you go to a lawyer referral service at a bar association, are you getting the next name on a list that the organization has?

This is almost the same as closing your eyes and pointing your finger blindly in the yellow pages? You don't really know if there are any qualifications needed for the lawyer to be listed on their referral list, other than to pay the yearly dues to the bar association. Maybe they handle malpractice cases. So how do you know if this is the right lawyer for you? You need to ask lots of questions about the lawyer's experience and what type of law firm they have.

(4) Getting a referral from a friend is a great way to find a lawyer.

But what if you don't have any friends who know a good lawyer to handle your particular type of case? On to the next method...

(5) Getting the name of a lawyer from someone who was happy with their malpractice lawyer is also an excellent way to find a good lawyer.

But again, what if you don't know anyone personally? Then go on to the next method...

(6) Do an online search.

Your best bet is to focus on the search words for your neighborhood. For example, let's say you live in Brooklyn, and are looking for a medical malpractice lawyer to help you investigate if you have a valid case. You could enter the following words in Google search, "medical malpractice lawyer in Brooklyn." The results will give you a lot of useful information, and then you can start looking at each web site to see if that lawyer is right for you.

When looking online, keep in mind the difference between websites that come up on the first page, known as "organic search results" as opposed to the paid advertisements that appear at the very top of the page, and those in the right hand column of the search results page. The difference between the paid ads and the organic results, is that the paid ads literally pay to appear on that page when a particular search is done. The natural search result is Google telling you that these websites are important and relevant to your search results. Does that mean that a lawyer that pays to advertise on that page isn't the right one for you? Not at all. Just keep in mind the distinction when doing your search. Ask why that law firm isn't in the organic search, and why are they only on the paid advertising section.

Also, I've found it extremely helpful when a lawyer has a video on their site explaining how they can help you, rather than explaining how great the lawyer is. I know when I look for information online, I don't want to hear how wonderful someone is. I am searching online because I have a problem, and I am looking for a solution to my problem.

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Karen Hesse Is Back With Brooklyn Bridge!

Well worth the five year wait, award winning author Karen Hesse's new book, Brooklyn Bridge, is a memorable mix of historical fiction with a trace of enchanting fantasy. Hesse introduces this immigrant tale with a quote by Isaac Newton:" We build too many walls and not enough bridges". This quote could be considered "a spoiler" if one could interpret its relevance prior to reading the story. However, readers must finish the book in order to see what Ms. Hesse means by using this quotation symbolically in relation to the actual Brooklyn Bridge and humanity, especially in the special era she wrote about.

In the early 1900s, the family of fourteen-year-old Joseph Michtom has come from Russia to settle in America where the streets are made of gold. His is the typical lively and colorful family who has come to live the immigrant life of 1903 Brooklyn. Joseph who has a pretty good life for a kid in those days, filled with stick ball, a good home, family and lots of friends, is blessed but his dream centers on going to the new and thrilling amusement park known as Coney Island. However, Coney Island must wait. The Michtom family, in Joseph's mind, is doing fine with their candy store when suddenly his Dad gets an idea that instead of making toy bears out of metal or wood, they should be made of cloth. Before you can say 'teddy bear', the idea takes off and the family is swamped with the demand for these bears. Joseph's family time is now devoted to this new "invention" and there is no time for Coney Island much less his "regular" boyhood life of friends and frivolity.

Interspersed between the chapters that tell of Joseph and his family and friends comes the haunting story of the kids who live under the bridge. Karen Hesse writes of these somewhat mystical children in a different, almost poetic way. Theirs is a life of suffering and misery which includes their individual stories of horror, starvation, pain, and even death. The central character under the bridge is one known as the Radiant Boy who glides in like a phantom spirit and frightens the children as they know that when he comes and takes someone with him, the child never comes back. How these children relate to Joseph's story is almost like a parallel universe in that Joseph doesn't seem to even meet any of these kids or acknowledge their existence for the most part. Their connection to Joseph, however, is one that is subtly alluded to throughout the story but it isn't until the end that the reader will see the significance of this story within the main story.

What is the connection between the kids under the bridge and Joseph? As for Coney Island, does Joseph ever get there? As you read this remarkable work by Karen Hesse, the answers to these and many more questions just may satisfyingly and incredibly be revealed. I recommend this as a perfect book for children 11 and older, as well as for adults who want to learn more about a time when our ancestors migrated to this country and settled in that magical place in New York known as Brooklyn. For those of us who know the area, the allure and magnificence of Coney Island and the wonderful Brooklyn Bridge will never cease to exist but rather be enhanced and remembered by reading Karen Hesse's novel, Brooklyn Bridge.

Chris Sheban did the wonderful cover art and adds to this amazing book with his interior illustrations as well.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Baron Davis runs New York City with Common, Jim Jones, Irv Gotti and DJ Clue

From Brooklyn Bridge to Times Square, Baron Davis dribbles through NYC making some stops along the way.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dnRJHJQ17PU&hl=en

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Kevin & Makael's Weekend & Ciara Gimmie Dat Thoughts & More

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zG3tgO5tqZ4&hl=en

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

RIHANNA FT. EMINEM - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE ( OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO )

hitmuzic.net - RIHANNA FT. EMINEM - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE ( OFFICIAL MUSIC VIDEO ) Ignore This Rihanna Ft Eminem Love the way you lie Official Music 2010 new akon t-pain lil wayne rihanna dj khaled maroon 50 cent ti 07jul08 dnc records kanye west lil wayne jay-z akon timbaland rihanna t-pain ti ne-yo akon lil wayne rihanna linkin park 50 cent maroon 5 ice cube the game akon lil wayne rihanna 50 cent linkin park maroon 5 daddy yankee 07jul08 22jul08 hichem & iman gorilla zoe lil wayne akon t-pain maroon 5 50 cent rihanna nas linkin park madona britney spears shakira kelly rowland r.kelly daddy yankee don omar wisin yandel lil wayne nelly rick ross dj khaled fat joe trick daddy pitbull plies flo rida elevator low t-pain daddy yankee akon lil wayne t-pain don omar rihanna jay-z 07jul08 hichem & iman dnc records akon lil wayne timbaland linkin park rihanna soulja boy 50 cent 07jul08 hichem & iman dnc records tupac is alive ! brand new shit brand new lil wayne NEW SHIT JUST GOT OUT 2008 LEAVE A COMMENT IF U WANT THE SONG ! new lil wayne rnb4u Chris brown featuring the game g-unit juelz santana 50 cent timbaland ti tq i dont know soldier lil wayne t-paine akon azad hnnover berlin germany american movie clip music gta song 4 football rugby döhren best new neu yeni hakan sükür galatasaray sampion kurdistan pkk bloods new york washington harlem brooklyn american historie x sido augen auf halt dein maul sure situation alphabet gletscher Lil wayne lollipop Kanye West rap r&b t-pain ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hyVBWQioE2M&hl=en

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Dorothy's Heroic Measures Make A Wonderful Story

I loved this book the most. Jill Ciment tells the story of an elderly couple in New York City living in a 5th floor walk-up. Their cat, Dorothy, is a precious dachshund who they adore. She is about 14 years old and the night before they are having an open house to show their apartment so they can sell it, she becomes ill. Alex and Ruth want to move to a building with an elevator as their apartment is five floors of tough climbing, especially at their age!

Dorothy has evidently hurt her back and in the cold, New York weather, they place her on their cutting board and cover her to take her far away to the emergency animal hospital. Getting a taxi that will get them there quickly is difficult as a tanker truck has jack-knifed and turned over in the tunnel stopping all traffic in and out of Manhattan as the driver ran away and is suspected as a terrorist.

The story develops around that incident in that if people are scared, they are likely to offer less for the apartment and with the showing of the condo to some superbly described characters by Ciment, there is the phone calls back and forth with the hospital where Dorothy has to have a risky surgery to see if she will ever walk again. I loved when the chapters alternated from Dorothy's point of view to the narrator as Dorothy described what was happening from her dog's eye view.

How the story ends would be a spoiler so I will stop there....but does Dorothy survive the surgery? Do Alex and Ruth sell their apartment and get into a new elevator installed building? Does the terrorist really follow through on an attack? It is an easy read but sweet and enjoyable and very cleverly written. I would like to read more by Jill Ciment after reading this book.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Tiffany's Stained Glass Legacy

Louis Comfort Tiffany was the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, founder of Tiffany and Company. He was born in February 18, 1848, heir to an already successful enterprising family.

Tiffany studied painting in Paris and painted oils and watercolors in Europe and Morocco. His family wealth and connections ultimately would help make his own artistic business do very well. Louis Tiffany became interested in glassmaking in 1875 and then worked at several glasshouses in Brooklyn until 1878. In 1879, he partnered with Candace Wheeler, Samuel Coleman and Lockwood de Forest to form a company known as Louis Comfort Tiffany and Associated American Artists. Establishing Tiffany Studios, the firm specialized in favrile lamps and vases of iridescent glass made in natural forms in the art nouveau style. He trademarked Favrile (a French word meaning handmade) on November 13, 1894. The lamps became very popular and were widely imitated. To this day, Louis Comfort Tiffany is best known for his work promulgating the Art Nouveau and Aesthetic art movements. Ironically, he did not trademark his own name and to this day, the term "Tiffany" describes the stained glass technique and style used in the manufacture of objects, including light fixtures, vases, bowls, windows and architectural details.

Although he embarked on starting his own business, Tiffany always kept close ties with the family firm and he became Artistic Director of Tiffany & Co. after his father's death in 1902. The Tiffany Studios remained in business until 1932.

Tiffany loved the textures, color and mineral impurities of commercial jelly jars and bottles. Fine glassmakers would not leave the impurities in, so he began making his own glass that had those textures and impurities. In 1893 Tiffany built a new factory, which became known as the Tiffany Glass Furnaces, located in Corona, Queens, New York. In 1893, the Tiffany Company introduced the term, favrile in conjunction with his first production of blown glass at his new glass factory. Tiffany lamps were exhibited in the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago.

Tiffany's first commercially produced lamps date from around 1895. Much of his company's production was in making stained glass windows and Tiffany lamps, but his company designed a complete range of interior decorations including pottery and enamel pieces, as well. At its peak, his factory employed over three hundred artisans.

Tiffany used opalescent glass in a variety of colors and textures to create a unique style of stained glass. He used all of his skills in the design of his own house, an 84-room estate called Laurelton Hall, in Oyster Bay, Long Island. It was completed in 1905. Later this estate was donated to his foundation for art students along with 60 acres of land. The entire estate was sold in 1949, and, unfortunately, was completely destroyed by a fire in 1957.

The Morse Museum of American Art in Winter Park, Florida was founded by Hugh McKean, a former art student at Laurelton Hall. The Museum houses the world's most comprehensive collection of the works of Louis Comfort Tiffany, including Tiffany jewelry, pottery, paintings, art glass, leaded-glass windows, lamps, and the chapel interior he designed for the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. After the close of the exposition, a generous benefactor purchased the entire chapel for installation in the crypt of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, New York in New York City. As construction on the cathedral continued, the chapel fell into disuse, and in 1916 Tiffany removed it and re-installed it at Laurelton Hall. After the 1957 fire, the chapel was rescued by Hugh McKean and it now occupies an entire wing of the Morse Museum. Many glass panels from Laurelton Hall are on exhibit as well.

A major exhibit at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art on Laurelton Hall opened in November 2006. A new exhibit at the New-York Historical Society in May, 2007, features new information about the women who worked for Tiffany and their contribution to designs credited to Tiffany. Louis Comfort Tiffany died on January 17, 1933. He is buried in Greenwood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

How a Coffee Shop Owner Can Keep a Business Open - Keep Customers and Employees Happy

Recently, there was some buzz over a well-known cafe in Brooklyn, New York that had to close its doors for 16 days. Business had been good for them for several years and the coffee shop had become a famous fixture in their area. Dozens of people line up every day for their favorite brew and delectable pastries. No one would expect a lucrative business like that to suddenly close up. But, it did for over two weeks. Imagine the thousands of dollars lost during this short time? The closure wasn't because of the lack of customers but rather from dissatisfaction among its employees. As a coffee shop owner, there is a tendency to stay focused on how to make the customers happy. Sometimes we forget that without our baristas and service crew, we wouldn't have a business to run.

There's a lot of info on how to be the best host to our clients but hardly any on how to be a good boss. Most employees would complain about unsympathetic and abusive working conditions. To them this is worse than getting a low paycheck. Sometimes, a coffee shop owner can be clueless about issues their employees deal with. Expectations may not tally because of bad communication between boss and staff. You can be a better boss to your employees by identifying the issues that are usually oblivious to you until your staff suddenly decides to walkout one day. From an owner's point of view, you may think that you are doing everything right and that your employees are simply happy with their jobs. You can implement a routine to open communication lines better. Keeping your service crew contented is almost as important as pleasing your customers.

Saturday, November 6, 2010

"Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z | Alicia Keys [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

Check out the OFFICIAL VIDEO for "Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z | Alicia Keys! Visit www.Jay-Z.com for all Jay-Z News and Updates!



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0UjsXo9l6I8&hl=en

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Success Lessons From The Builders Of The Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge in New York cost about twenty-seven lives to build. The first man to die was the designer of the bridge John Roebling, an immigrant engineer from Prussia.

However, the bridge is an awe inspiring monument to the courage, skill, determination and perseverance of the Roebling family and the workers who risked illness and death in its construction

In 1869, John Roebling planned what would be the largest suspension bridge in the world. It would span the East River in New York to join the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. It would be over a mile long.

It took thirteen tough years to complete the bridge. Tragically, John Roebling missed those thirteen years. He injured his foot when it was crushed between a pylon and a ferry as he surveyed the area.

He refused anaesthetic as his crushed toes were amputated and then tried to cure his foot by dripping water on it night and day. The water may well have infected his toes. He eventually developed lock jaw and died in agony of tetanus.

Even while he was in hospital he demanded regular updates on the progress of the bridge. His condition deteriorated but he still helped solve onsite problems. His huge determination and incredible focus on the job in hand was passed on to his son and his daughter-in-law.

Washington had seen death and agony on the battlefields of the Civil War but his father's painful death still affected him hugely. He partly blamed himself:

"I feel that I perhaps made a mistake in not taking my father to a hospital at once. But my father had very decided beliefs, and looked upon hospitals as the abode of the devil - and upon doctors as criminals."

Washington Roebling took over his father's role as chief engineer on the project. He worked with the same energy and drive that had raised him to the rank of Colonel in the Union army during the civil war. Like his dad, he unwisely put work before health but one can only admire his dedication.

Washington directly supervised construction of the underwater caissons upon which the bridge's massive towers would be built. Because of this underwater work, he suffered several times with decompression sickness, or the bends, as early as 1872.

However, thanks to the intelligence, skills and close support of his wife, Emily, Washington continued to control the project. He sent messages through Emily to his chosen engineers who appreciated the understanding Emily had developed of how to carry out this hugely challenging engineering project.

At times, Washington used a telescope from his house on Brooklyn Heights to keep in touch with events on the banks of the East River but his main support and means of communication was his wife.

Emily had read and filed every scrap of news about the bridge since the beginning and had worked at her husband's side during the entire construction effort.

With Emily, Washington discussed the detailed blueprints, and with her he shared all of his own and his father's bridge building plans and dreams. Emily began to study many topics related to civil engineering so that she could support her husband. These topics included maths, the strength of materials and cable construction.

She possessed the winning combination of being able to work hard, communicate effectively and being able to learn the engineering skills necessary to achieve her husband's goals.

When a board of inquiry was convened by the American Society of Civil Engineers to determine if Washington Roebling should be removed as Chief Engineer, Emily's effectiveness in managing the work to that date convinced them that the Roeblings should remain in charge.

The bridge was eventually opened in 1883. The first person to walk across was Emily Roebling. Plaques honoring Emily's accomplishments are installed on both the Brooklyn and New York towers of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The bridge itself is a monument to the work of both John and Washington Roebling.

The story of the bridge is full of inspiring lessons about success. John Roebling took a risk by leaving Germany for the USA. The risk paid off. At the time Germany lacked the money and the will for big, new engineering works.

The US government, on the other hand, had put money aside to encourage building projects. Success often involves the risk of moving from a dead end to somewhere with more potential.

My own father was a civil engineer who moved from England to China where I was born at the start of World War II. The risk he took did not pay off as we ended up in a concentration camp but it certainly led to a character building experience for the whole family!

We were eventually rescued by American GI's. One of my most treasured possessions is a plane made of bullets given me by one of them. My father soon moved us on to Iran to work on the waterworks in Tehran. This move was more successful.

John Roebling built several remarkable bridges around the USA before he built up the knowledge and skill to successfully plan the hugely ambitious Brooklyn Bridge. People usually build confidence through starting small and ending big.

He showed lazer focus on the project even when he was dying. He made the wrong choice with hydrotherapy but he made the right choices for the bridge. Probably no other engineer in the United States could have planned this bridge. Mastering skills makes the master, or mistress in Emily's case, invaluable.

Washington showed the same focus and skill as his dad. He shared the dangers of his men in working in the caissons. This is the mark of great leaders like Alexander the Great and Nelson who both suffered injuries along with their men.

His determination and leadership led to the completion of one of the great bridges of the world. He overcame one obstacle after another to do this. This including dealing with the shoddy wire he was supplied with by an unscrupulous merchant. Successful people do not give up in the face of crippling problems.

Emily showed what one determined and intelligent woman can achieve. She did what most people would think was impossible. When she did not know what to do, she did not give up. She simply learned the skills necessary to carry on. She had enough confidence to learn on the job.

Her courage, confidence and intelligence were exceptional in a century when middle class and upper class women were looked on as mere ornaments. She clearly did not accept this view.

In recent times on the internet, Sharlene Raven took over the internet business of her husband Scott when he was struck down with illness. Both Ravens produce great products which I know I can trust.

Most successful people learn to rely on the help of others for their success. They also ignore the limits placed upon their abilities and achievements by the views of others.

To succeed we need to learn the skills and knowledge which are relevant to the goals we are pursuing even if we learn on the job. In fact, it is quite often more easy to learn on the job than in an ivory tower away from the dust and dirt of reality.

We need to believe that we are the people who can carry the job through. We need to work, like John and Washington, with focus and energy whether we feel like it or not.

Both the Brooklyn bridge, its builders and the Roeblings are an inspiration to the world.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Cold Hardy Palm Trees For Landscape Design And Planting In The United States

Scattered reports of palm trees growing in Northern areas of the United States and Canada have been known for many years. Semi-truck loads of windmill palm trees have been unloaded and successfully grown in Canada and the Northeast beginning in the year 2000. These windmill palm trees, Trachycarpus fortunei, provide many resorts and homeowners with a tropical look for their pools or patios. Needle palms, although very rare and available only in short supply, tolerate below zero temperatures of the north. Dwarf palmetto palm trees, Sabal minor, and Dwarf saw palmetto palm trees, Serenoa repens, demonstrate cold hardy qualities and are especially desirable as hedges, borders, and as a privacy block.

Windmill Palm Trees - Trachycarpus fortunei

The most cold hardy palm tree is the windmill palm tree, Trachycarpus fortunei, a palm tree that is found growing as far north as Canada. The cold hardy quality is especially historically notable of the windmill palm trees, where the trees are lined around Lake Lucerne, Switzerland leading up to the city walls. Extensive plantings of windmill palm trees, Trachycarpus fortunei have been known for years in southern resort areas such as the Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia, where the entrance to the hotel greets guests with thin, graceful trunks of windmill palms. Tall windmill palm trees also can be seen at the Retreat Plantation Golf Course on St. Simons Island, Georgia at the club house entrance. TyTy Nursery began selling windmill palm trees a decade ago as small trees and recently have successfully transported large windmill palm trees by semi-trucks for planting in such northern cold states as Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and many others. These large windmill palm trees appear to have survived temperatures of below zero and heavy snow and ice storms. It is now possible for Northern states to plant with a tropical garden look around their pool or patio. Windmill palm trees have a great future in the United States as an outstanding tree with a tropical exotic appearance, and a palm tree that survives severe cold temperatures and snows of the north.

Needle Palm Trees - Rhapidophyllum hystrix

Many palm trees have been tested for their quality of cold hardy survival, and the needle palm, Rhapidophyllum histrix, rates high on the list. The needle palm tree was tested years ago at the Brooklyn, New York, Botanical Gardens, and the palm was found to grow well and remain green after snow and ice storms fell during the winter. One quality that the needle palm tree features is slow growth that produces waxy leaf coverings that protect the growing tissue from fast freezing temperatures. The needle palm tree, Rhapidophyllum histrix, produces long needle projections at the base of each palm leaf. This needle is stiff and ominous to man and beast and is responsible for the descriptive name: needle palm tree. The needle palm tree tends to grow in clumps, producing small offset needle palm trees at the base, however, seeds are commonly produced which are scattered around the base of the needle palm tree. The seed of the needle palm tree sprout slowly to grow into small plants. Large needle palm trees can grow for hundreds of years in age, but are rarely found as a native palm tree in forests, because collectors have dug them for landscapes. Even though some needle palm trees have been documented to be 15 feet tall, the trees are rare and expensive in large mature sizes.

Dwarf palmetto palm tree - Sabal minor

In the south, the dwarf palmetto palm tree is commonly found growing as small shrubs and colonies along sandy coastal areas and in poor swampy soils inland. The dwarf palmetto palm, Sabal minor, competes aggressively with other shrubs and trees in native American forests and is a valuable landscape shrub in many exclusive resort areas, because once established, it is evergreen and requires virtually no maintenance in landscapes. Many gardeners have unfortunately tried to dig dwarf palmetto palm trees to transplant and grow in their yards, but because of the extensive root system that is removed, most transplanted dwarf palmetto palm trees wither and die shortly after planting. Good results of planting dwarf palmetto palm trees can be experienced, if the gardener decides to buy nursery container trees. Striking specimens of dwarf palmetto palm trees can be seen when clumps of small trees are removed from the mother plant, that often contains a curved shapely trunk of 4-5 feet topped by beautiful green leaves.

Dwarf Saw Palmetto Palm Tree - Serenoa repens

High demand from the landscaping nursery industry has stressed the supply and availability of the Saw Palmetto Palm tree, "Serenoa repens". This palm tree grows as a silver form and a green form. It illuminates the dark backgrounds under dense shade. This dwarf palm tree forms clumps and often is used as border hedges and screens. Saw Palmetto palm trees are not fast growing but are evergreen and cold hardy in many Northern areas of the United States, where snow and ice damage most green plants. Cold hardy palm trees are a valuable landscape tree in cold areas where a tropical look, around pools and patios are useful. Recent tree plantings of the Dwarf Saw Palmetto palm trees at golf courses have stressed the supply of these plants. As a native plant discovered by William and John Bartram in 1773, on St. Simon's Island, GA near Fort Frederica, the Dwarf Saw Palmetto palm tree was discovered growing and was identified by Bartram as "spinosis " (Dwarf Saw Palmetto). He also found "Corpha palma", or Great Cabbage Palm, "Corpha pumila", "Corpha repens" and "Corpha obliqua".

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

An Extensive Tour Of Brooklyn New York City By Bicycle Part 1

myworldtravel.weebly.com The Worldtravelerman presents An Extensive Tour Of Brooklyn New York City By Bicycle. For the very first time in history i am going to tour the borough of Brooklyn New York By bicycle and film it with my bike cam. The first 6 parts will be covering the neighborhoods of Bath Beach, Bensonhurst and Caesars bay. Coney Island followed by the rest of south Brooklyn will be next so make sure to subscribe to find out exactly when they will be done and posted. Please also comment and rate them. Thank you for tuning in:)History: a present day borough of the New York City, it dates back more than 350 years. The settlement began in the seventeenth century which was founded by the Dutch was named "Breuckelen" grew to be a sizable city in the nineteenth century. In 1898 It was consolidated with New York City (then Manhattan and part of The Bronx) and with the rural areas of Queens and Staten Island, to form the modern New York City. The Dutch were the first Europeans to settle the area on the western edge of Long Island, which was then largely inhabited by the Lenape Indians, a Native American people who are often referred to in contemporary colonial documents by a variation of the place name "Canarsie." The "Breuckelen" settlement, named after Breukelen in the Netherlands, was part of New Netherland, and the Dutch West India Company lost little time in chartering the six original parishes (listed here first by their later, more common English names ...



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgbqDOBIkMo&hl=en

Monday, November 1, 2010

New York Car Accident Victim Loses Settlement Money After Government Steps In

Here's a perfect example of a case where the driver of a car who hit a young man crossing the street, did not have enough insurance coverage, leading to insufficient compensation for his injuries:

This particular man was in a shopping center crossing the street when he was hit by a car entering the shopping center. The driver was going about 25-30 miles per hour. He hit the man squarely on the left side of his body, causing him to go flying through the air and land about ten feet from where he started. The injured man was rushed by ambulance to the closest trauma center where he was diagnosed as having a broken femur (the largest bone in your body), trauma to his face, and a bleed under his skull. The victim required a tracheostomy; a hole made in his windpipe to allow a tube from a ventilator to help him breathe. This injured victim spent more than three weeks in the hospital.

When he was discharged, he was sent to a rehabilitation facility and ultimately made his way home.

The driver of the car had insurance. However, when I investigated the insurance policy he had, it turns out it was a "limited" policy. This means it was a relatively low policy amount. Shortly after I was able to document all of my client's injuries to the insurance company, they promptly paid the full insurance policy since they recognized that the injuries my client suffered far exceeded the available insurance in this case.

Q: What other options were available to this young man after the insurance company "tendered" (paid) the insurance policy?

A: One option would have been to sue the driver personally and try to get a judgment against him. If successful, then I would be able to enforce the judgment by seizing his property in order to fulfill the judgment. However, after investigating this possibility, we learned that the driver had no assets- at least none that were in his name. Bringing a lawsuit against him, just to get a "paper" judgment would serve the client no purpose.

THE GOVERNMENT STEPS IN...

In this case, my client had been receiving medicare benefits because of a pre-existing disability. When Medicare learned (as they always do) that my client had received some compensation for his injuries, they asserted a "lien" against the proceeds of his case. This meant that they were asserting their right to recoup money that Medicare paid for his hospital and medical bills arising out of this car accident. The medical bills alone were astronomical. They were over $300,000! Medicare wanted everything that my client would receive as his share of the settlement. In effect, this young man potentially would get nothing as a result of his injuries.

I appealed to Medicare advising them that it would be tragic if this young man who was severely injured were required to pay back Medicare everything he was awarded in the settlement. Yet Medicare made a reasonable argument: Who else paid for his medical bills when he was in the hospital? Nobody. He did not have any other health insurance. Medicare did not expect to get reimbursed for paying his medical bills. But, when an injured victim brings a lawsuit seeking compensation from the driver of a car, bus, truck or someone else- and is successful, then Medicare steps in and says "You are now required to reimburse us." Many times Medicare will try to negotiate with you, depending upon the amount you recover. Yet the bottom line is that they must be repaid.

If your attorney ignores a Medicare lien, they do so at their peril. If your lawyer pays you your net share of the settlement without allocating money for Medicare, this is what will happen. Medicare will file a lawsuit against your attorney in federal court. They will ask not only for the money that they were supposed to recover, but also ask for three times the amount (called treble damages). Needless to say, if your lawyer has reached this stage, he has significant problems. The government is not required to go after the client (you, the injured victim). Your lawyer may try to get the money back from you, but what if you already spent it? Now the lawyer has even bigger problems.

The bottom line? Medicare must be repaid.

The bottom line for this client? He got the short end of the stick since the driver of the car that hit him did not have sufficient car insurance to cover the severe injuries he received. Then, the government stepped in and asked for the total amount of money to cover at least some of their expenses. After an appeal to Medicare, they were "generous" enough to allow my client to take home a token amount of the original compensation he was entitled to receive.

What is the moral of this story? Carry enough car insurance on your insurance policy to cover a serious injury. Then buy an "umbrella" policy (also known as an excess policy) to protect you and your assets in the event your main insurance policy is insufficient to pay compensation to someone seriously injured.

Thanks for taking the time to become informed.