Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog

Duck And Cover In Case Of Atomic Attack!

I promise I was doing some actual legal research yesterday when I somehow was redirected to this YouTube video. Then it seemed strangely appropriate for April Fool's Day.

The video is about "Duck and Cover" in case of atomic attack. It was made in 1951. Baby Boomers like me sometimes long for the good old days, when life was simpler. Then we come across something like this that reminds us the good old days weren't all good. Politicians back then liked to scare the public, just like the ones we have in Washington now. It seems especially unkind, in retrospect, to scare elementary-age kids by showing films like this one. And to make it worse, the film has such terribly unhelpful information -- such as using a newspaper to protect your face from radiation burns when the atomic bomb inevitably explodes near your home or school. Enjoy...

Library Of Congress Photo Collection

I'm sure there must be a legal application for this, but you'll have to figure that out on your own. For me, the photographic collection from the U.S. Library of Congress is just interesting.

ER Doctors Less Likely To Prescribe Painkillers To Minorities

Here's a strange and troubling tidbit from today's Dallas Morning News. A recent study revealed that emergency room physicians prescribe narcotic painkillers more frequently to white patients than to minority patients. What's especially odd about this fact is that whites are more likely to abuse painkillers than are blacks or Latinos. Here are excerpts:

Even for the severe pain of kidney stones, minorities were prescribed narcotics such as oxycodone and morphine less frequently than whites.

The analysis of more than 150,000 emergency room visits over 13 years found differences in prescribing by race in both urban and rural hospitals, in all U.S. regions and for every type of pain.

The study appears in Wednesday’s Journal of the American Medical Association. Prescribing narcotics for pain in emergency rooms rose during the study, from 23 percent of those complaining of pain in 1993 to 37 percent in 2005.

The study’s authors said doctors may be less likely to see signs of painkiller abuse in white patients, or they may be undertreating pain in minority patients.

In the study, opioid narcotics were prescribed in 31 percent of the pain-related visits involving whites, 28 percent for Asians, 24 percent for Hispanics and 23 percent for blacks.

Link of the Day - Travel Tips

Whether you travel for business, pleasure, or both, flying seems to be a bigger hassle than ever before. That's where JohnnyJet comes to the rescue. This Web site is published by a fellow who travels practically nonstop, and has an enormous variety of travel tips and resources. Here's his sotry:

I started this newsletter/website for fun. It all began when I e-mailed a few friends who traveled a lot, and wanted to earn as many miles as I did. We competed to see who could accrue more miles, and after kicking their butts (I learned a lot traveling 150,000 miles a year for the past 10 years), I decided to be nice and help my friends out. My first e-mails told them what numbers to call so they could earn double miles or points. Each week I got more creative, adding new features like tips, web cams and helpful travel websites. My list grew and grew. I got e-mails from people I didn't even know, asking to be added to the distribution list. When my list reached 500 I decided to make a website. I felt there were many helpful, cool websites out in cyberspace, but not one of them had everything I needed. I had so many travel bookmarks and favorites that sometimes even I couldn't find what I was looking for. So I laid them all out, organized them, and voila: The Johnny Jet Portal! The website was designed to point travelers to everything the web has to offer. It doesn't matter if you travel five days a week, or once every five years. This site is for everyone! It has become the "first stop" for thousands of travelers. Those who contribute to Johnny Jet share my vision -- and I share theirs. Together, all of us get the inside scoop on how to do travel -- and how do it economically, comfortably, efficiently and with plenty of style. Don't forget to tell your family, friends and colleagues to sign up to our free Johnny Jet’s Travel News, Tips and Stories newsletter (at www.JohnnyJet.com) -- and to use our search engines when booking travel.

Link of the Day - Regiftable.com

OK, Christmas is over, and you absolutely love every gift you got, right? Yeah, me neither. Here's the answer for us: Regiftable.com. This is their story:

Why Regiftable.com?

The credit counselors at Money Management International (MMI) know that being in debt is no way to start the New Year. They created this Web site to help you get through the season with your budget and your sanity in tact.

Whether you are a fan or foe, regifting has become a phenomenon. Regifting experiences can range from resourcefully refined to a comedic disaster; it’s all about the five ‘Ws’ (who, what, when, where, & why). In our opinion, if you are going to do it, do it right! With this holiday season’s particularly tight budgets, it only makes sense to talk about all possible ways to stretch your resources.

In addition to regifting, the folks at MMI love to talk about pregifting, postgifting, ungifting, misgifting, multigifting and nongifting. In fact, the experts at MMI have developed materials that cover a wide range of topics; all to help you financially survive the holidays. So if your holiday debt typically outlasts your fruitcake, consider giving yourself a gift this holiday season; the gift of freedom from financial worries. (After all, the holidays are supposed to be fun!)

Link of the Day - Christmas

Wikipedia is the first place many people go to for all types of information, including the history of Christmas.

Link of the Day - Track Santa's Progress On NORAD Radar

Is Santa Claus coming to your home tonight? Find out where he is right now. You can track Santa's progress on NORAD radar.

Link of the Day - Associated Press Stylebook

One of the best sources for information about writing -- word usage, punctuation, etc. -- is the AP Stylebook. It's available as a printed book or as an online guide. The Web site also has quite a few FAQs, including these:

How do you reference hours in this situation: "It was going to be 2-4 hours" or "It was going to be two to four hours"? – from Portland, OR on Mon, May 01, 2006 AP spells out numbers under 10 (unless referring to clock time).

Hi, What is the proper way to refer to .coms, as in this quote: "There are a lot of shaky .coms out there." Thanks – from KC, MO on Fri, Apr 28, 2006 C. Butler: AP would spell it out: dot-coms (hyphenated).

Hello.I am in a news editing class at SUNY Cortland and a couple of questions arose that we could not find in the AP Stylebook. The word "Guided-Missile Cruiser". Is there supposed to be a hyphen between the words "guided" and "missile". and also in the sentance "He signed his name every 2 seconds" is the number 2 supposed to be spelled out even in this instance? Thank you and I look forward to hearing back from you. – on Wed, Sep 12, 2007 Nick Martinson: Thanks for your interest in AP style. We would not use a hyphen in "guided missile cruiser." And we would spell out "two seconds" in the sentence you cite. Norm Goldstein/AP Stylebook editor

When two words are hyphenated and the first word is capitalized, is the second word capitalized also. For example, should it be: Long-awaited or Long-Awaited Thanks – on Fri, Mar 31, 2006 Carole Gillham: Thanks for your interest in AP style. No, generally the second part of the hyphenated compound is lowercase. Norm Goldstein/AP Stylebook editor

Hello, Joe Carberry here with Paddler magazine. We couldn't find website. Is website Web Site, Web site, Website or website....thanks – on Tue, Jun 27, 2006 Joe: Thanks for your interest in AP style. AP uses Web site (two words).

Link of the Day - Holiday Gifts For People With Alzheimer's Disease

A recent issue of the newsletter of the Silverado Senior Living facility in Sugar Land, Texas contained an interesting article about gifts to patients with Alzheimer' disease or dementia. Here are excerpts:

What kind of gift do you give someone with dementia or Alzheimer’s disease? There are more than 19 million family members in the United States, each asking themselves that very question this holiday season. Holiday shopping for people suffering with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia is not an impossible task. Here are some gift ideas that may help you to spread the cheer this holiday season.

Everyone wants to feel warm and loved. How about these gifts of warmth and comfort?
Soft micro fleece blanket
Hand made quilt
Warm shawl or scarf
Warm-up suit with zipper and pockets

What did your loved one like to do? Try these gifts of fun and adventure:
Outing to a garden center
Fishing trip
Movie and lunch

Everyone loves to feel pampered. How about a gift certificate for a beauty shop visit, manicure, and/or pedicure? How about a massage to relieve anxiety?

Personalized and inspirational gifts are always appropriate. Try a coffee mug with the grandkids pictures imprinted on it or a monogrammed blanket. Often times, those suffering from
Alzheimer’s or dementia can be calmed and redirected with soothing music. Why not give an inspirational CD or book?

Link of the Day - Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you have a great Thanksgiving holiday. Here's what Wikipedia has to say about Thanksgiving:

The earliest Thanksgiving events were held in the British Colonies, at present day Berkeley Plantation in Virginia in 1619 and at Plymouth in present day Massachusetts in 1621.

In November, 2007, President George W. Bush will give a Thanksgiving address at Berkeley Plantation in Charles City County, Virginia.

Traditional celebration

In the United States, Thanksgiving is a four day weekend which usually marks a pause in school and college calendars. Many workers (78% in 2007) are given both Thanksgiving and the day after as paid holidays.

Thanksgiving meals are traditionally family events where certain kinds of food are served. First and foremost, turkey is the featured item in most Thanksgiving feasts (so much so that Thanksgiving is sometimes facetiously referred to as "Turkey Day"). Stuffing, mashed potatoes with gravy, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, turnips, rolls, pecan pie, and pumpkin pie are commonly associated with Thanksgiving dinner. Often guests bring food items or help with cooking in the kitchen as part of a communal meal.

In keeping with the holiday theme of giving thanks, during the socializing or meal, people talk about what they are thankful for or tell about experiences during the past year which have caused them to feel grateful.

The Thanksgiving holiday was established as a national day of giving thanks and praise to God. The religious heritage of Thanksgiving continues in the tradition of saying grace at the beginning of the Thanksgiving holiday dinner.

The Thanksgiving season is also a time of generosity. People contribute food to annual Thanksgiving food drives and donate to charities.