GHSA Report: Teen Driver Deaths Increased in 2012

By: Jeffrey LapinThe Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) released its Teenage Driver Fatalities by State ... http://bit.ly/12dzHKv

The People Versus Former U.S. Olympians

By: Jeffrey Lapin of Lapin Law Offices

Oscar Pistorius, the "Blade Runner," is not the only former Olympian, whose name you probably know, that has been charged with one or more serious crimes since their Olympic glory. Here are some of the "notorious" U.S. Olympians that have made the crime page:

• Kobe Bryant

• Tonya Harding

• Marion Jones

• Bruce Kimball

• Tim Montgomery

Read the full Post: The People Versus Former U.S. Olympians (http://lapinlawoffices.com/lapin-law-offices-blog/people-versus-former-us-olympians)

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES

Lapin Law Offices represents injured, abused and disabled clients throughout Nebraska. To find out if you have a case call us anytime (24/7) at 402-421-8033 or submit your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

                    

Direct Deposits Mandated By U.S. Treasury

By: Jeffrey Lapin of Lapin Law Offices

The United States Department of the Treasury is ending paper checks and switching to direct deposit as of March 1, 2013, for most Americans. This includes those receiving Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments. The move to direct deposit is touted as safe, easier, more convenient and will save taxpayers $120 million. There are a few groups that can elect to still receive a paper check.

Image Source: http://www.ssa.gov

The Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve Banks has sponsored a "Go Direct" campaign, including videos and a website, to inform people about this important change. 

Here is the latest Go Direct video: It's Time to Switch to Electronic Federal Benefit Payments

 For more information check out the Go Direct website FAQ: http://www.godirect.org/about-faq/

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES

Lapin Law Offices represents persons seeking Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income benefits from the Social Security Administration. If you have been denied give us a call at 402-421-8033 or submit your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

                    

Legal News You May Have Missed (February 24, 2013)

By: Jeffrey LapinThis week's Legal News You May Have Missed covers the week February 17 through 24, 2013. The news ... http://bit.ly/YTrUtS

FDA Regulating Internet Metadata and Keywords

By: Jeffrey LapinOn January 29, 2013, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent a "Warning Letter" to a Florid ... http://bit.ly/WaMcOW

Tablet Application Could Rapidly Diagnosis Concussions

By: Jeffrey Lapin of Lapin Law Offices

Image from Harvard's Wyss Institute

Researchers at the Harvard's Wyss Institute have developed a tablet application ("NeuroAssess") that could lead to rapid diagnosis of concussions and other neuromuscular conditions. The purpose of NeuroAssess is to help "quantitatively measure" neuromuscular performance rather than rely on the traditional subjective and qualitative measurements.

The initial study had 150 healthy individuals use a stylus to follow a moving target around a circle on a computer tablet. Measurements were taken from deviations from the circular path. The researchers analyzed these deviations to account for age, sex, and handedness.

Wyss Senior Staff Engineer Leia Stirling, Ph.D., who led the study, said about the possibilities of NeuroAssess:

It is portable, repeatable, quick to administer, and easy to perform.

One day it might sit next to the thermometer and pressure cuff in the doctor's office. Just as your blood pressure is recorded during every visit, so could your neuromuscular score be tracked over time to determine progress through recovery and rehabilitation.

If NeuroAssess works it would be extremely useful for sporting events and at accident scenes to determine if someone has sustained a concussion or other head injury.

Post Sources

• Wyss Institute: New Technology May Help Doctors Monitor Concussions, Aging, and Neurological Function
• The Journals of Gerontology: Use of a Tracing Task to Assess Visuomotor Performance: Effects of Age, Sex, and Handedness

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES

Lapin Law Offices represents injured and disabled clients throughout Nebraska. To find out if you have a case call anytime (24/7) at 402-421-8033 or submit your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

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FDA Approves Artificial Retina

By: +Jeffrey Lapin of +Lapin Law Offices 

From: The National Science Foundation Press Release 13-026

"The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted market approval to an artificial retina technology today [February 14, 2013], the first bionic eye to be approved for patients in the United States. The prosthetic technology was developed in part with support from the National Science Foundation (NSF). ... The FDA approval currently applies to individuals who have lost sight as a result of severe to profound retinitis pigmentosa (RP), an ailment that affects one in every 4,000 Americans."

Hopefully, after additional testing, these new artificial retinas can be applied to other individuals who have lost vision due to other conditions and injuries.

To read the full Press Release: Artificial Retina Receives FDA Approval 

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES

Lapin Law Offices represents injured and disabled clients throughout Nebraska. To find out if you have a case call anytime (24/7) at 402-421-8033 or submit your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

Connect with us :  

                    

Banks Told To Review Their Own Foreclosures

By: +Jeffrey Lapin 

Article review: Big Banks Are Told To Review Their Own Foreclosures (By: Jessica Silver-Greenberg & Bren Protess / The New York Times)

From the article:

"Washington is seeking help from an unlikely group in its effort to distribute billions of dollars to struggling homeowners in foreclosure: the same banks accused of abusing homeowners with shoddy foreclosure practices.

In doing so, the regulators are trying to speed the process after a flawed, independent foreclosure review delayed relief for millions of borrowers, according to people briefed on the matter."

The question arises why were banks not trusted to review their own foreclosures before, hence the whole need for federal review, but they can be trusted now to review their own foreclosures?

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES
Lapin Law Offices represents people whose rights have been violated by debt collectors and credit bureaus throughout Nebraska. For more information about these types of cases:

• Lapin Law Offices | Unfair Debt Collection
• Lapin Law Offices StopBadCollectors.com | Unfair Debt Collection
• Lapin Law Offices StopBadCollectors.com | Unfair Credit Report Actions

To find out if you have a case call anytime (24/7) at 402-421-8033 or submitting your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

Connect with us :                     

Study Finds Alcohol Deaths Drop After Price Increase

Study Finds Alcohol Deaths Drop After Price Increase

By: +Jeffrey Lapin 

Post Excerpts: 

A Canadian study of alcohol price, availability and death, found that when the minimum alcohol price was increased, alcohol-related deaths decreased fairly quickly. A 10% price increase was enough to significantly lower the death rate. This Study was recently published in the American Journal of Public Health, The Raising of Minimum Alcohol Prices in Saskatchewan, Canada: Impacts on Consumption and Implications for Public Health ... 

The Study’s most significant finding was that increased minimum alcohol prices were associated with immediate, substantial and significant reductions in wholly alcohol attributable deaths. More specifically, a 10% price increase was followed by a 32% drop in wholly alcohol attributable deaths. In addition, there were also a decrease in partially-related alcohol deaths two to three years after the price increases. Moreover, a 10% increase in the number of liquor stores was followed by a 2% rise in all alcohol related deaths ... 

The Study offers this conclusion: 

Minimum pricing is a promising strategy for reducing the public health burden associated with hazardous alcohol consumption. Pricing to reflect percentage alcohol content of drinks can shift consumption toward lower alcohol content beverage types.

Original Lapin Law Offices Blog Post: http://lapinlawoffices.com/lapin-law-offices-blog/study-finds-alcohol-deaths-drop-after-price-increase

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES
Lapin Law Offices represents injured, abused and disabled clients throughout Nebraska. You can learn more about your rights by calling us anytime (24/7) at 402-421-8033 or submitting your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

Connect with us:                     

Legal News You May Have Missed: Week Ending February 8, 2013

By: Jeffrey LapinThis week's legal news that you may have missed for the week ending February 8, 2013, all inv ... http://bit.ly/XtzFYc

Equifax's "Secret" Financial Database - Your Data Might Be Sold

ARTICLE: Your employer may share your salary, and Equifax might sell that data - By: Bob Sullivan via redtape.nbcnews.com

Quotes from the Article: 

The Equifax credit reporting agency, with the aid of thousands of human resource departments around the country, has assembled what may be the most powerful and thorough private database of Americans’ personal information ever created, containing 190 million employment and salary records covering more than one-third of U.S. adults. 

Some of the information in the little-known database, created through an Equifax-owned company called The Work Number, is sold to debt collectors, financial service companies and other entities. ...

But salary information is also for sale by Equifax through The Work Number. Its database is so detailed that it contains week-by-week paystub information dating back years for many individuals, as well as other kinds of human resources-related information, such as health care provider, whether someone has dental insurance and if they’ve ever filed an unemployment claim.

The full article is available here: Your employer may share your salary, and Equifax might sell that data

This is very scary for everyone and significant invasion of privacy.

You can attempt to find out what information The Work Number has about you by going to: http://www.theworknumber.com/Employees/DataReport/. Note that not all reports or information is available online.

ABOUT LAPIN LAW OFFICES

Lapin Law Offices represents people whose rights have been violated by debt collectors and credit bureaus throughout Nebraska. For more information about these types of cases:

• Lapin Law Offices | Unfair Debt Collection
• Lapin Law Offices StopBadCollectors.com | Unfair Debt Collection
• Lapin Law Offices StopBadCollectors.com | Unfair Credit Report Actions

To find out if you have a case call anytime (24/7) at 402-421-8033 or submitting your case online (Contact Us). We offer a free initial consultation and do not collect a fee unless we get money for you.

Connect with us :                     

Keywords: Equifax, The Work Number, credit report, consumer privacy, consumer information, debt collection, debt collectors
Hashtags: #equifax, #thewoknumber, #consumerprivacy, #debtcollection, #debtcollectors 

Dramatic Increase in Fatal Vehicle Crashes Following Storm

By: Jeffrey LapinLast week there were 14 deaths in motor vehicle crashes in Nebraska. This is the most for a seven ... http://bit.ly/XVNexD

Legal News: For The Week Ending February 1, 2013

By: Jeffrey LapinLegal news for the week ending February 1, 2013, from around the United States and the world t ... http://bit.ly/WGlNsj