The Court Closed the Palin-Johnston Child Custody Case

 Juneau – According to Anchorage Daily News, The court has closed the custody case between Levi Johnston and Bristol Palin. According to the lawyer of a party, both have agreed to settle differences regarding their 3-year-old son outside the court. The court decided to close the custody case on former vice-presidential nominee Sarah Palin’s grandson after a lack of activity from both parties.

Although Bristol Palin’s attorney did not give any immediate response, Johnston’s lawyer Rex Butlter gave a hint on the development of the case. Johnston and Palin are likely to talk on the issue themselves without the intervention of the court or any legal proceeding.

To remember, Palin and Johnston had a court battle on the custody of the kid. However, last 2010 they settled differences by allowing Palin to have primary physical custody of Tripp, but equal legal custody. According to the Palin family lawyer, Johnston was given visitation rights, and he should pay child support.

The Alaskan court posted a dismissal of the case custody last July because of legal inactivity from parties. It is the discretion of the court to consider the case moot and academe if parties are not interested in pursuing anymore.

Recently, Lifetime series ran “Bristol Palin: Life’s a Tripp” with Bristol and Tripp in the cover. Bristol talked about Johnston’s presence in Tripp’s life and his absence, as well.

Last 2008, Bristol and Johnston became part of the national clamor as Sarah Palin was running for vice-presidency. They were classic examples of teenagers expecting their baby. However, the relationship was marred with break-ups, on and offs, and a failed engagement.

After the sour ending of their relationship, Johnston appeared in “Dancing with the Stars” and had a new baby with his girlfriend. On the other hand, Briston had gone to writing.

For Bristol, “A child is a blessing and I know they are experiencing the joys (and challenges!) of having a newborn.”

Pot Considered for Tax Increase But Others are Skeptical

 Denver – According to The Daily Herald, Oregon, Washington, and Colorado are in the race of who can legalize smoking of marijuana. In Colorado, voters are already in the crossroad of legalizing marijuana use. However, negative opinions have spurred debates, which centered on the actual tax the recreational marijuana law can generate.

Supporters of the legalization claim that marijuana can create a bail-out for cash-strapped states; plus, it can reduce criminal lawsuits and charges that should be dealt with by the government. On the other end of the spectrum, oppositions talk about the growing bureaucracy and myriad of pitfalls that may abound when marijuana is legalized.

The three states cannot agree on the actual tax generation marijuana legalization can yield for the state government. Colorado intends to use marijuana taxes in building schools with the marijuana tax surging between $5 million to $15 million. Washington plans to fund rehabilitation, research, and healthcare with an estimate of $2 billion tax in five years. The Cannabis Tax Act of Oregon foresees 90% of marijuana tax for the state’s general fund with the austerity measure for prisons.

Brian Vincente, a man-of-law for Colorado’s Campaign To Regulate Marijuana like Alcohol, debated, “We all know there’s a market for marijuana, but right now the profits are all going to drug cartels or underground.”

From the other side, it is hard to measure and buying-selling business of marijuana in the black market. As much, no one knows if those in the black market will go into open once the law is passed.

For the anti-Marijuana legalization, Jeffrey Miron, Harvard professor on national tax implications, said, “It’s difficult to size up a market even if it’s legal, certainly if it’s illegal.”

Nonetheless, there are federal restrictions that should be considered. When California intended to legalize marijuana last 2012, US Attorney General Holder discussed the vetoing capability of the federal government on the basis of the federal drug law.

In the end, voters will decide to legalize Marijuana or not, purely not on the basis of tax implications, but on necessity and society issues.

If you or someone you know needs a person to handle tax issues, call a tax attorney in your area.  

Taking a Peak at Adrienne Maloof’s Divorce battle with Paul Nassif

Los Angeles – According to People, Adrienne Maloof and Dr. Paul Nassif’s divorce panted a darker picture of Bravo’s The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. In a nasty foray to end a relationship, their divorce battle has reached accusations of guns and physical abuse, which subjected their children into a horrible nightmare.

“You see this routinely in LA,” explained Steve Mindel, a family law expert of Fienberg, Mindel, Brandt & Klein, LLP. "More often than not people get so wound up in winning that they forget about the collateral damage to their relationships, to their children, their in-laws and support systems."

Beverly Hills Hotel witnessed the pomp wedding of Maloof and Nassif last 2002. Maloof comes from a rich family that owns Palms Casino Resort and Sacramento Kings. They seemed to be a happy family with their kids, Gavin (9 years old), and twins Christian and Collin (6 years old), appearing in Real Housewives.

July 30, Nassif sought the court for legal separation, which ended into a divorce case. Nassif filed for join custody, but Maloof wanted to have primary custody over their kids.

Nassif was reportedly claiming that Maloof had been “physically violent,” “abusive” and “toxic” to his children. Verbal abuse happened in front of their kids. And on July 14, Maloof hit him and kicked him in the legs, which prompted him to file legal separation.

In a document submitted to the court, Nassif said, “Continuing to expose the children to my and Adrienne's dysfunctional and volatile relationship is causing harm to the children.”

Meanwhile, Maloof stated in her court statement that Nassif had a violent temper, and he shoved her to the ground. She further alleged Nassif of carrying “a gun in his briefcase, which he leaves unlocked… and the children are afraid of him…”

To clear the gun allegations, Nassif turned in the gun that was licensed to him to the Beverly Hills Police Department. Maloof also accused Nassif of being an irresponsible father who drank during a kayaking trip, causing almost-drowning and losing one of the children.

Maloof also claimed that Nassif spanked and hit the boys. To which, Nassif defended that he spanked the boys when they disobey him, and serious danger may happen. Lisa Helfend, Nassif’s lawyer, commented, “Paul's priority is to protect his children, his hope is that Adrienne feels the same.”

SBA talking about a program for women-owned small-businesses

 Washington – According to The Washington Post, in a move applauded by woman – entrepreneurs, the Small Business Administration has drafted a formal program to give priorities to project procurements of women-owned small-businesses. Last April 2011, SBA started designating specialized projects set-aside for procurements of women-owned small-businesses.

However, many are doubtful on the awarding of contracts, which seems to be perennially slow. Industry-wise, the program does not cover investment-heavy IT and professional services industries.

The program is still a tip of the iceberg, according to most businesses and federal agencies. The implementation of the program did not boost the financial value and number of project contracts awarded to women-owned small-businesses. In a seemingly odd result, women-owned businesses still don’t get special access to federal projects said to be set-aside for the program.

Deltek analysts reported an insignificant increase of projects awarded to women-owned businesses. The limited number of industries included in the program and minimal spending on covered industries are major reasons of the insignificant rise of women-owned businesses project procurement.

Federal agencies had been awarding a slice of 5 percent to women-based business even before the initiative was implemented. From 2008 to 2010, numbers had given a good start for women-owned businesses; however, 2011 saw a big difference of $1 billion in contract value.

Small Business Administration’s newly-fueled implementation of the program is seen as an opportunity for women-owned business to see potential financial targets this year.

Federal agencies are encouraged to spend more for projects in procurement of women-owned businesses. The Army, Air Force, Navy, and Defense Department have combined to become the formidable four in awarding project contracts to women. However, for the fiscal year 2011, the Defense Department failed to meet its spending goals for women-owned businesses. There is still a big need for federal agencies to spend for services that will benefit women-based small businesses.

If you need someone to organize and handle legal issues of your business, find a good business lawyer now.

Medical Malpractice

Recent statistics shows medical practice causing 44, 000 to 88, 000 deaths, and 1.5 million personal injuries. Medical malpractice is a common event occurring in most clinics, hospitals and other medical institutions involving medical practitioners. The situation happens as a result of negligence or carelessness on the side of the medical practitioner. Medical malpractice is not limited to events causing deaths, but it also involves mistake in prescribing medicines, failure to evaluate the medical record prior to medical treatment, and the ignorance of the medical practitioner to administer proper healthcare.

In healthcare setting, even if two patients have the same illness or health disorder, it does not mean that the same medical care or treatment is applicable because of the axiom that each patient is unique, so does the treatment. When the doctor or medical practitioner does not follow the standard or regulation on how to treat patients, by which medical practitioners are sanctioned to follow, medical malpractice occurs, even without the evidence of death or personal injury. Due to the guideline of medical profession and the underlying premise of medical malpractice, it is very important for doctors to check the patient prior to prescribing medicines or administering any treatment.

Medical malpractice is not confined to doctors only, but also to medical professionals. Anybody who administers and provides healthcare can commit medical malpractice. Clinical psychologist, nurses, or healthcare assistants may fail to exercise the right medical procedures in handling illnesses of patients. Of course, the mistake or negligence of the medical practitioner or professional may not occur at once. It may be that the patient suffers terrible pain and health decline before succumbing to death.

A medical malpractice or personal injury lawyer can help families or any direct beneficiaries of the patient, who died due to medical malpractice, to file a claim over damages on the premature demise of the person.

For purposes of understanding medical malpractice, it is necessary to determine if duty is owed. A medical practitioner must have direct duty to provide necessary care to the patient or victim of malpractice. In the same manner, the medical malpractice or personal injury lawyer needs to prove the standard or quality of healthcare expected. For instance, a person who is under the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital must receive highest standard of care from medical providers. At the event medical practitioners failed to provide the expected standard of care, malpractice happens because of the imminent danger and risk that medical professionals failed to acknowledge.

A preponderance of evidence must prove the medical malpractice happens due to the breach of duty. When a medical practitioner is expected to provide the necessary care to a patient and the practitioner fails to provide such care, medical malpractice happens due to breach of duty. It can be that breach of duty happens through omission. The failure to check patient's medical records is a form of breach of duty.

In context, medical malpractice demands necessary evidence and proof to expound the matter. Damages are to be awarded to families of the patient, who is injured or died due to medical malpractice.  

Dog Bite Lawsuit

Dog bites affect more people than you could imagine. According to the statistics of the health department, 4.7 million dog bites are reported in the United States annually, excluding those not reported. Of the 4.7 million dog attacks, 20% resulted to serious physical injury. As a result, dog bite lawsuits are very common in courts of the country.

As a rationale, states have different perception on dog bites. In fact, there are states that allow dog owners to pass for the first bite. On the other hand, other states believe the 'one-bite' law is old and not applicable to modern situations. The first dog bite, for some states, is punishable as the second and so forth. A dog bite lawsuit may take longer period, sometimes years, to resolve.

The same with other personal injury lawsuits, dog bite cases must prove the liability of the person. Only if the liability is proven that the dog owner can he held responsible for the damages of the situation. Otherwise, the dog owner does not need to pay for the healthcare cost and other damages of the dog attack.

With the differing state laws on dog bites, there is a big challenge to prove liability. For instance, in Texas, the 'one-bite' law is being imposed, while for California, any attack of a dog resulting to injury constitutes responsibility of the dog owner. The only exemption is when the person trespasses on the dog owner's property, which is the causation why the attack happens. However, at the event that liability is not proven, the lawsuit may revolve on the negligence of the dog owner to stop the dog from attacking the person. Leash laws and regulations are applied to the negligence of the dog's owner.

There are several evidence that the personal injury lawyer may require you to prove liability. Injury photographs, medical records and medical care bills are some of the documents you need to prepare prior to the hearing of the case. You are also required to provide a deposition, by which you need to answer certain questions including your past criminal records, places you've resided, employment status and history, and the testimony on how the event happened.

As said earlier, the dog bite lawsuit may take months or years to be resolved. Prior to filing of the lawsuit, the personal injury lawyer must send a demand letter notifying the owner of the dog that you are suing him or her with the information on injuries and the amount of damage compensation you are asking for the lawsuit not to reach the court. In the process, it is necessary for the personal injury lawyer to negotiate with the dog owner or the representative lawyer on the settlement of the issue.

However, if settlement is not reached outside the court, a lawsuit is filed before the court. The court will sit a jury to give verdict to the case. During the trial, each personal injury lawyer will be given the chance to provide argument on the case. If the verdict is favorable to you, damage compensations will be determined by the court.  

Heart's Day: Letter to Exes

As today is considered as the heyday of love, I am writing a message to my then-girlfriend.

Dear Ex,

It'd been long since the last time I caressed your skin, smelled your scent, and tantalized on your beauty in the middle of the night and in the hot temperature of the day. Indeed, it was too long that only my lust would remember it all. But when I remember those moments, this a tingling in my thigh.

What we had was a beautiful love affair. It was!

Never once did I regret the fleeting days we spent together. But I thank you for having the tolerance of my temperament. We had already reached the compromise of our relationship. We already knew how to work out our flaws and imperfections. I'd love to think that it was already a perfect relationship bounded by love - and perhaps, lust.

But still, we ended up apart. We thought we could already surpass the winds of times, but we failed. The decline of that beautiful relationship did not come in a twinkling of an eye. It came in slow process of drifting apart. We lost what we had. Distrust crept. And we skidded to a direction of nowhere.

I would not be blaming you for the mistake. It was all mine. And I thank you for being part of the experience and the lessons I had with that. I learned that in a relationship love is not enough. When trust is broken, even if how much effort you exert, things will not be back to its position. When trust is broken, it is time to give up. Allow things to settle. Otherwise, two people who love each other will be hurting each other reaching the point of no return. This is what happened to us. We'd reached that apex and there's no way out.

When I was with you, there's so much assurance of love, but we did not make it right. We had imperfections and we started to be blinded. Instead of discussing what had happened, we just allowed ourselves to be fooled. Instead of talking, we were cuddling each other - even fulfilling the demands of the Kingdom Animalia. While we loved the hotness of human anatomy, we ignored the problem. And later did we know, our problems had piled up and it was impossible to resolve them any more.

And of course, we hurt each other. As much as we loved each other, we wanted to own each other. I wanted to own you and you wanted to own me. Isn't it sweet? It wasn't. We chocked each other. We forgot that we had our own lives. When we did try to merge with each other, we lost our self-identity. As a result, we became lesser persons. And as much as we were hurt, we needed to give up before blood gushed out.

As I already told you, I am extending back again my gratitude for the love we shared. It was lovely. But it's gone.

I am happy with my new flame. Armed with lessons of our relationship's demise, I am better now in keeping a person I love.

I just pray, you also had your lessons.

Perhaps, it was an academic and intellectual relationship. That's what we had.

With great love,

____________

The World of Lust and Sex – The Deprivation of Man

The heart is placed not between your thighs because man's focus should not be sex and lust, but love!

Out of the thousands of websites, 12% are pornographic - and the number will continue to grow as the current behavior encourages the industry. Every second, there are 28, 258 internet users who are viewing porn; 40 million Americans are regular visitors to porn sites. This is the reason why the porn industry is ever growing with an estimated revenue of $20 billion every year. While this revenue could have grown higher if there are no free porn sites available in the market.

On an average, only 7% of the performers use condoms in heterosexual porn. With this, 66% of the porn stars have herpes, while a considerable 7% of performers are HIV positive. Worse comes to worst, 79% of porn stars use marijuana, 50% use ecstasy, 44% use cocaine, and 39% use hallucinogens. This high use of drug is due to the fact that most porn performers can't take what they are doing on stage. In fact, in one of the documentary presented by Louis Theroux, he noted that porn stars mostly commit suicide because of the pressure they take from the filming and the ruin of their lives.

While pornography has been a great social taboo few decades ago, in the dawning of the 21^stcentury, pornography has become a norm. It is already an accepted thing in the society as men and women. Our social behavior has evolved over time – and what seemed abnormal to Generation X and Y is already taken as a normal activity by the Mosaics. We are indeed living in a changing world.

But in whatever sense we take this, pornography is not a normal thing. It is a form of addiction that should considered of same level of drugs. When teens are hooked to pornography, sexual addiction follows. It ruins their very sense of know the real to the unreal; the understanding of what's right and what is not right. In fact, the biggest fraction of purchased porn has some form of aggression and domination over others. There is a bigger and deeper problem that is deeply attached to pornography. And whatever way we deny it, it is there!

Perhaps, the biggest problem being attached to pornography is the ruin of a person's understanding of what is morally right and the intent of the person. As noted, most people watched porn videos that exhibit some form of aggression, domination, and sense of rape. There is something on this trend which can be equated with the growing sexual abuse and trafficking of women and children.

If we think pornography is harmless and can't do something on the lives of people. It is time for us to rethink. With the growing industry, it is easier to look for porn videos that search for actual information in the web. While some does not consider pornography to be harmful because it feeds their sexual imagination, don't forget the plights of thousands who are abused because there is someone who watches porn and was motivated because of it.

Understanding Asylum Laws - Edward Snowden

Asylum, in general terms, is a special right granted for people who cannot go to the own country for a perceived fear of persecution due to race, nationality, religion, or political opinion. In United States context, asylum provides an opportunity for anybody, as the immigration law does not have any numerical limit, to live and work in the United States in an indefinite period of time. After a year of asylum, the person can seek for permanent residency in the Unites States through green card application.

In theory, asylum and refugee status differ only on where the person asks for the aforementioned legal permission to stay in the United States. With the asylum, the person is already within the borders or territory of the United States, while for refugee the person seeking permission is still outside the premise of USA. However, as stated above for reasons of granting asylum, both statuses need to comply with the requirement of the 1967 United States Protocol on Refugees.

As stated, the immigration laws of the United States does not limit the number of asylees, but there is a limitation or numerical cap on those who seek permanent residency after one year of asylum status. The Immigration Act of 1990 provides 10, 000 available slots for asylees who can apply for permanent residency. History-wise, the numerical limit is justified and reasonable considering the fraction of asylum today.

A person who wants to get asylum in the United States must meet the following criteria for eligibility:

• Filing of the application of asylum may be a year before actual entry is made or at the time of entry at airports, seaports or borders.

• It is necessary to ask and provide documents showing if the circumstances in your country has changed with regards to the perceived fear of persecution. With those circumstances change, the United States USCIS may not grant the asylum status – and you will be advised to leave the country.

• As stated above, the refugee definition of the United States Protocol on Refugees must be met.

It must be understood that even if you illegally entered the United States, you can still ask for asylum. The United States will not deport the person for failure to apply for asylum status, provided that extraordinary circumstances have prevented the person from doing so.

Although asylum has benefits of protection and residence within the United States, the person must also comply with necessary requirements. For one, when traveling outside the United States, it is necessary for asylee to get an Advance Parole to have re-entry to the United States. A Refugee Travel Document can also provide a permission to leave and re-enter the country at any time.

If the person chooses to live in the United States for a permanent period, it is necessary to apply for green card status. Compared to other ways to get the green card, asylees have better chance for green application approval.

Purchasing a Foreclosed Property

Over the past years, the real estate industry has seen its worse conditions. Several homeowners need to give up their homes to mortgage lenders. Foreclosure auctions have been very common and more people see it as a good opportunity for investments. After a period of peaks in real estate, at last, it is time to buy homes and invest your hard-earned money, which is sitting on banks, for your dream house.

But before you rush to seal the deeds, it is recommended to communicate with a foreclosure lawyer for advice. You can the lawyer for details of the property and for things to watch out. Don't forget, you are investing a sizable nest that if things go awry, you will certainly suffer immense setbacks. Here are some of the things you need to watch out when buying a foreclosed property:

Don't Buy at Auctions. Well, when a property is foreclosed by a mortgage lender, they will post a notice of auction. This is the normal process of foreclosure. After a period of time, when the lender lifts the auction, the former owner of the property can repossess it by paying the asking price. In this case, if the former owner does not want to repossess the property, you can buy it. The good thing about buying on asking price and not a bid is the opportunity to see the property, to inspect if fixtures and parts of the property are great in shape. It is a stupid idea to buy a property when you don't know its current appraisal or market value. For a note, auction bid starts with the mortgage loan balance plus interest, even if the property has lower market value.

Beware of the Former Owner. Mortgage lenders will give a notice of vacating the property to the former owner. However, even if the former owner has not moved out, foreclosure auction still proceeds. When you buy a property and the former owner is still residing in, you will have a hard time evicting the family. Plus, it may be that the former owner vandalize or destroy the component of the house.

Buy from the Bank. If you want to buy foreclosed properties, check if the property is owned by the bank. There are banks that do mortgage loans and they foreclose properties when owners default in paying. It is good to buy from banks to avoid back taxes and to be sure that the property is absolutely vacated. Real estate taxes are very high and you have to get away with it.

Get Pre-Qualifications. If you have a sizable and secured financial capability, lenders will favor you than those who need loan approval. You can communicate with lenders for a pre-qualification. You will be given priority when a property is on sale.

Spend for Renovation. With foreclosure houses, don't expect too much. It is good to allocate amount of money for the renovation of the house. With the renovations, you can increase the market value or appraisal of the property.  

About the Foreclosure Process

Each state has its own foreclosure laws that guide the mortgage and real estate industry. For purposes of getting an overview of the matter, it is vital to explore the general foreclosure process. Foreclosure, as defined by law, happens when the homeowner defaulted on paying periodic payments and cannot pay the said default payments resulting to the seizure of the property to satisfy the claim of the lender. In practice, the foreclosure process may take up to six months or a single year.

Stages of Foreclosure

With the HAMP, lenders can only start the foreclosure process after the property owner fails to make loan repayments for three to six months. It must be understood that all other alternatives must be exhausted first prior starting the foreclosure process.

After months of missed payments, the mortgage lender, usually the bank, issues a Notice of Default with the trustee at the County Recorder's Office. For borrowers, the NOD is the onset of the foreclosure process. It is recommended to seek assistance of a foreclosure lawyer when an NOD is issued. The notice gives the homeowner five days for the reinstatement period, by which arrangements and negotiations are made for the best deal of the borrower.

If the borrower fails to make the loan current by paying the defaulted payments of up to three months, the foreclosure date will be set. A Notice of Sale will be recorded at the County Recorder's Office. The borrower will receive a copy of the Notice of Sale, which will be posted also on the property. The Notice of Sale must also be published in local newspapers, for at least three weeks.

If the property is to be auctioned, a Trustee Sale is made. The Notice of Sale must bear the time and data of the auction sale. During the auction, the highest bidder will get the property. After the payment within 24 hours, the trustee's deed to the property will be transferred to the new owner of the house.

Foreclosure Auction

The foreclosure auction invites several people to bid over the property. An opening bid is made by the mortgage lender; the opening bid bears the mortgage loan balance with the interest, attorney fees, and other necessary additional fees associated with the property. It must be understood that the foreclosure auction makes the Trustee the lien owner of the property. When there is no highest bidder of the property, the foreclosure lawyer of the mortgage lender can purchase the property for the lender.

If the opening bid is not meet due to the lack of interested buyers, the property becomes under Real-Estate Owned or REO, by which the bank or the mortgage lender can sell the property to satisfy their claim. Most buyers choose to buy the property through the bank or under the REO to avoid liens and property taxes associated with the sale. Plus, buying from a bank gives you an opportunity to buy the property with a clean title.  

Alternatives to Avoid Foreclosure

If you have been defaulting on mortgage payments, probably, you are already thinking of letting the bank foreclose your property. Losing the house is a sad chapter of your life; it is a nasty one. But, you don't have to succumb to the negative circumstances. You can either choose to retain the house using possible alternatives or disposing your house to transfer to another one.

Before deciding on the matter of foreclosure due to mortgage loans or such, it is recommended to ask a foreclosure lawyer of your options to retain the house. Here are some of the options you have to avoid foreclosure of the house and still keep the property:

• Repayment Plan Schedule. There are several reasons why you defaulted on paying your loans, but you can always negotiate with your lender to create a new repayment plan schedule. Depending on how things turn out with your lender, you may repay the loan in a new term with the aim of covering the defaulted payments.

• Forbearance. In this alternative, you are praying for the forgiveness of the lender on your failure to make timely payments. Forbearance allows you to suspend payment for a limited period of time, until you can recover from the financial crisis, but with the intent of resuming the payment schedule when things are good. Of course, the borrower is always up to the mercy of the lender; a good negotiation will do.
  
  
• Mortgage Modification or Refinance. Refinancing the loan is a good option to explore. Of course, you need to renew or revise the terms of the loan. By extending the mortgage loan, you will be able to buy time. You can use equities of your house to pay defaulted payments and start anew.
  
  
• Payment Assistance. There are charitable organizations that offer financial assistance to individuals who have problems with their mortgage loans. You can also tap state or federal government financial aids to help you in making a direct payment for your mortgage loan.

However, if you wish to dispose the house and you want to transfer to a new apartment or a new house, you may do the following:

• Sell the House. You can ask a foreclosure lawyer on the amount you can get with the property, including equities. With the advice of your foreclosure lawyer, you can compare how much you can get on selling the house over the mortgage loan.
  
  
• Assumption. Do you have a friend or relative moving to the area? You can ask them to take possession of the property. A lawyer can help transfer deeds of the property to another person. This way, the mortgage loan will be transferred to the new owner.
  
  
• Deed in Lieu of Foreclosure. Another option you can explore is just giving the deeds of the property to the lender to forfeit the loan.

Disposing the property can keep your credit rating in good shape, and you will be able to regain back your financial freedom.  

Navarro-Cornejo Grand Controversy of National Interest

These are two of my Facebook posts regarding the mauling incident of Vhong Navarro.

Jan 28, 2014

Dragging GMA 7 - particularly its News and Current Affairs - in the Vhong Navarro-Deniece Cornejo's brouhaha is irrational and terrible. Whether Cornejo is a granddaughter or not of Gozon or any other executive, GMA Network's reportage remains exceptional.

1. It was not bias to report the blotter that states the attempted rape. Did ABS CBN report the blotter and the content of such? Nope. GMA dug dipper and found that thing. Reporting the blotter's content is not only proper, but balanced. GMA was the first media outfit that took initiative to uncover the other angle of the issue for your honorable mind to have something to think of and weigh in.

2. Did GMA ask for the side of Vhong Navarro regarding the blotter or the attempted rape issue? Yes. This is the usual procedure followed by GMA as I noticed. Balance reporting as it was!
3. GMA News is far three times credible and above ABS CBN. That's personal from my distorted mind.

Feb 3, 2014

Anybody can call Cornejo a liar, a super liar, a lying drama queen if (you) believe that she is lying. But to call her a WHORE, a SLUT, a POKPOK for inviting Navarro to her condo is a different story.

If so, we call Cornejo a WOMAN-WHORE, then Navarro is a MAN-WHORE for taking her advances. (As Navarro said [non-verbatim]: Hindi naman ako pupunta dun kung hindi siya nagpakita ng motibo.) So, it is okay to take advantage when women flirt with you. Whether you have or you don't have a girlfriend, doing so is dastardly regardless of its popularity.
Let's call spade a spade.

(Vhong said that the incident was a lesson to him not to flirt anymore.) 

Filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

If you have been failing on your debt repayment, filing for the Chapter 13 bankruptcy is an option. Nowadays, more and more people have found a refuge of the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. This type of bankruptcy is a method of re-organizing your financial capabilities through a three or five-year repayment schedule, as approved by the court. In this type of bankruptcy, unsecured debts like credit cards don't require full repayment. In fact, unsecured debts are usually wiped out of your record upon the filing of the bankruptcy petition.

Why should you file for the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy? Mainly, it is used to protect your properties from the garnishment of creditors. The bankruptcy lawyer needs to prove in the court the necessity of certain assets for the re-organization of the person. Second, Chapter 13 Bankruptcy protects the business or the business activities from disruption. It is a great option to explore the capability of the business to repay creditors without fear of total business garnishment to meet demands of debt repayment.

Moreover, with the aid of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, you can eliminate interest of taxes you haven't paid for long time. For home mortgages, the bankruptcy petition can aid to protect the house from being foreclosed by creditors. Other loans you can negotiate easily with the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy includes car loan or auto insurance loans. For such, it is also an opportunity for you keep a clean slate of the credit report.

So how can you prepare to file for the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?

Before you start thinking of filing a petition to the court, it is very important to check your options. Well, it is really hard to struggle financially, but if you can still find ways to handle the crisis, explore them before filing for bankruptcy. Now, if you have made up your mind to file the bankruptcy petition, hire a good bankruptcy lawyer. The lawyer must know the sections of the field to ensure winning the best deal.

There are several items you need to file. First, you need to file the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy petition to the court serving your area. You need to file the petition in the court that handles the area you are residing. Of course, you need to pay for the bankruptcy processing fees of the court. Second, you will be asked to file a repayment schedule or plan you want to be approved by the court. Discuss with your bankruptcy lawyer the best plan that is doable and measurable. You should be able to meet your needs before the repayment.

The repayment schedule will be discussed with the creditors when you meet them. They will be given by the court a chance to question the repayment plan. It is their right to know how you can pay the debt in the next three or five years. After the filing of the plan, as per approval of the court, you need to start repayment.  

Filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

Chapter 11 Bankruptcy is a option for those who debts exceed the limit of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, which is $360, 475 or $1, 081, 400 on unsecured debt and secured debt respectively. The common notion is that Chapter 11 Bankruptcy is only available for companies; but it is not the whole truth. In fact, Chapter 11 Bankruptcy is available for individuals or companies that meet the debt limit requirement.

The petitioner, which is the debtor at this case, becomes the debtor-possession upon the filing of the Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. In this case, the debtor-possession can file lawsuits, stop garnishments, obtain loan contracts and reject or accept contracts. However, these rights are subject to the approval of the court. The bankruptcy trustee can restrict the debtor in administering these rights to protect interest of creditors.

So how can you file Chapter 11 Bankruptcy?

1. Get a bankruptcy lawyer. Getting a lawyer when you are planning to declare bankruptcy is very important. Whatever amount of resources you read or opinion from other people you get, the word of the bankruptcy attorney is still the best advice to have. Consider other bankruptcy types you can explore and look for the best approach to the problem. A lawyer knows the ins and outs of bankruptcy laws, especially for those who specialize on the field, and the lawyer can provide succinct and reliable information for your decision-making.
   
   
2. Comply with the requirements of the court. The court allows companies and individuals to file Chapter 11 Bankruptcy once in six months. If you are planning to file the bankruptcy petition, consider the repayment schedule you can follow. In the same manner, it is a great idea to make most of the bankruptcy petition by appearing on trial hearings. If you failed to comply with the requirements of the court, you can only re-file the petition after 180 days you filed the previous one.

3. Prepare the papers. There are several papers and documents you need to prepare for the Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Financial statements of the company or the individual must include the schedule of assets and liabilities, statement of income and expenses, and the statement on cashflow of the company. Even if the petitioner is a company, the credit counseling is still an important part of the process.
   
   
4. Meet up with creditors. After the court receives the petition, you need to prepare for the meeting with creditors. Creditors may ask details of properties, assets and resources of the company, especially if these said assets are detailed on the loan or debt contract. It is the discretion of the creditors to accept a bankruptcy and repayment plan or not.
   
   
5. Give up interest. When you filed for the bankruptcy, you are also declaring total surrender of the business to the hands of creditor. Although, you can still maintain rights of the company, for the sake of proper decorum, it is advised to allow the bankruptcy trustee to work on the survival of the company. 

What is Constitutional Law?

Constitutional law refers to the aw and statutes that establishes the authority and power of the government, as well as its rights and grants. Constitutional law is considered the foundation of a nation. The Constitution of the United States of America establishes the form of government and is the source of the primary law within the jurisdiction. Distinct to most federal government like the United States, each state or province may have its own constitution, but the Constitutional Law refers to the federal law encompassing the entire sovereign.

In essence, constitutional law includes the interpretation, administration, practice and study of the nation's constitution, which is the fundamental law of the federal government. Anything that relates to the legal subject of constitutional rights or violations is considered part and parcel of constitutional law.

Although considered as the fundamental law of the nation and static in nature, the constitutional law can be changed as time necessitates. The United States Constitution has undergone series of amendments over the passage of time. On 1992, the 27^th Amendment has been added to the articles of the United States Constitution. The language of the Constitution provides for such amendments, after ratification of the Congress.

The history of constitutional law writes more than 10, 000 proposed amendments, but only 20 have been passed adding to the seven original articles of the Constitution. Two of the landmark amendments of the constitutional law are the 13^thAmendment abolishing slavery, and the 26^th Amendment to put the voting age to 18 years old.

Constitutional law is a very controversial and exciting field of law. Because the interpretation of the Constitution is always under scrutiny, amendments are hardly passed. And politics may also play an important role to the interpretation of the Constitution. The Supreme Court has the final judgment on any interpretation, which may change in terms of the politics of the Court. The history of the Supreme Court shows that most Republicans are more conservative, while Democratic justices tend to lean on liberal views of the Constitution.

Constitutional law experts play a big role in finding violation of the Constitution when a new law is proposed. Lobbying is a common practice in constitutional law to sway judgment on amendments and laws that are against the nation's fundamental law. As said, however, only the Supreme Court may offer a final opinion on any violation of the Constitution.  

Understanding Labor Laws

Do you know you have rights as an employee and member of the United States labor force? Labor laws govern the employment system of the country. It includes anything that relates to employment, workplace, and wages. More than often, employees don't know they have rights that guarded them against abuses.

Here are some of the highlights of labor laws:

• Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA). Employees are entitled to 12 weeks unpaid but job-protected leave for medical purposes. It includes birth or adoption of a child, and when a member of the family or immediate relative including parents. Employees cannot force an employee to report to work or fire the employee due to the long leave.
  
  
• Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). It can considered as the governing and fundamental labor law. It covers the wage and overtime pay of employees, both of private and public. Under this act, employers of nonagricultural sectors cannot force 16 years old employees to work more than the minimum number of hours. In the same way, this act protects children under 18 years old from dangerous jobs.
  
  
• Occupational Safety and Health Act. To protect employees from dangerous jobs, there are regulations and standards on safety and health. This way workplaces are ensured to be safe and hazard-free to avoid accidents that may lead to injuries or death of employees. Asbestos-related cases are examples of this labor law.

• Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This act commands employers to include employees on a group health plans. With this labor law, employees are protected from discrimination due to health status. Instead of choosing few employees within the organization, this act dictates that all employees, irrespective of circumstances, should be included in a group health plan.
  
  
• Comprehensive Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA). When employees or their beneficiaries lose their company health benefits through the group health plan for a certain period of time, COBRA gives them the choice to continue participating on the plan or not. These circumstance of company health plan forfeiture include reduction of worked hours, job transition, involuntary job loss, divorce, death, or other life events.
  
  
• Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Act. If you have been working on a regular job prior entering the armed forced service, you are entitled for re-employment with your former employer. This way those who are called up for the National Guard or as reserves have security of employment after the tenure of service.

Now that you know your labor rights, be sure to fight for them. The federal and the state governments are working to protect the American workforce from outright abuses.  

Tax Planning Tips

Taxes are obligations to the government for the services rendered to the public, which benefit the business directly or directly. In this guide, we will discuss different tax planning tips for salaried employees and small businesses.

Tax Strategies for Salaried Employees:

• Take advantage of pre-tax treatments. Pre-tax allows you to make most of the whole dollar before taxes are computed. Instead of deducting tax on your gross pay, you can take advantage of pre-tax to consider “gross pay” after certain expenses are deducted. Companies offer different forms of pre-tax treatments, but the most common ones include commuter or parking fee benefits, group life insurance, group long-term disability insurance, and charitable contribution.
  
  
• Deduct job-related expenses. These expenses must be included on the 2% of your adjusted gross income. Educational and professional training expenses related to work, expenses of job-related travel, job hunting expenses, and other unreimbursed work expenses are some of the job-related expenses that can be deducted from your income to avoid taxing them.
  
  
• Join the 401K. Retirement may be too far away, but someday you will. It is best time to start contributing now. It will not just build your retirement nest, but it will save you from taxes.
  
  
• Get 529 Savings Plans. If you have dependents, it is recommended to get them 529 accounts. It can give your dependents a great chance to study college. Plus, it will save you from unnecesary taxes. Instead of saving the money for the educational purposes and pay taxes at the same time, 520 accounts protect the educational purpose without the taxes.

Tax Plans for Small Businesses:

• Seek help. Taxes are matters of the business. There are penalties and interests to deal with when you failed to properly handle taxes. If you can do your research, it is great. However, if you can't do the research yourself, seek a consultant to do the job. Paying off the consultant may be a burden, but paying penalties, fines, and interest may eat your profits.
  
  
• Get deductions. If individuals can get deductions, of course, small businesses can get them too. You check the following deductions and take advantage of them. These include automobile deduction, entertainment expenses deductions, home office deductions, and travel expenses deductions.
  
  
• Classify the business right. Don't you know that there are different tiers of business taxing? Yes, you can classify your business as Sole Proprietorship, Limited Liability Corporation, Partnership, C-Corporation, and S-Corporation. C-Corporation has bigger liabilities and higher tax rates than Sole Proprietorship type of businesses.
  
  
• Do it monthly. Instead of paying taxes one time every year or quarter, you can ask the IRS for a monthly payment. By paying the tax in increments, you will be able to avoid downsizing the operating capabilities of the business.   

How to Find a Good Family Lawyer?

If you have a problem with your spouse or you need to settle on child custody, a good family lawyer is vital to winning. A good family lawyer does the job for you. He will inform you of all your legal rights, and he can keep your interest safe in the courtroom. What seems unimportant is vital. A bad and inexperienced lawyer can put in a disadvantage position in the courtroom, especially if the other side has a good lawyer.

Choosing a lawyer is not easy; it can be overwhelming. In this guide, we will keep the matter simply and easy.

What do you need?

Why are you looking for a good family lawyer? Do you want to divorce your spouse? Or has the relationship reached its compromise and things are already violent, even bloody? Perhaps, you need a family lawyer to mediate things and patch up mistakes. For whatever reason you need a lawyer, be sure he or she is the best for the situation.

Lawyers specialize on issues and situations. If the family lawyer you got does not know much about financial disputes, you may win the divorce case, but lose the advantage of financial gain.

What are the specifications?

When you hire a family lawyer, you are risking everything – your family, your child, your finances, and your future. One wrong move and you will lose everything. The responsibilities that must be delegated to the family lawyer can speak volumes – and you need to get the best according to the following:

• Be sure to check the years of experience of the lawyer with regards to family laws and disputes. Choosing an inexperienced family lawyers bears its own set of risks.

• Criminal lawyers have their own association, as much as family lawyers have their own club. You check with the State Bar for these associations. Hire a lawyer associated with the family lawyers group in your place.

• Choose a lawyer with a local office in your place. Except on certain circumstances, be sure to hire a family lawyer practicing in your area. He or she knows the system in your locality – and it saves expenses.

• Others may have experienced what you are going through. Ask them for recommendations. For lawyer's evaluation, ask for references and check them out if reviews are positive.

In the end, it is your choice. Keep these things in your mind, and trust your guts and instinct in hiring a good family lawyer.  

How to Deal With Debt Collection Agencies

If one day you need to deal with debt collection agencies, do you know how to handle the matter flawlessly and avoid further legal issues? When you are stuck with these phone calls, letters, and personal visits, your reaction matters most. How will you react to such intimidating questions? What can you do to satisfy the collection agency representative?

In this guide, you will get fine ideas and principles that will help you survive the stress debt collection agencies bring. It will not detail on how you can possibly pay your debt, but you will know how to answer, respond, and react to their queries.

Let's start with knowing your rights. One of the common complaints of debtors is the way debt collection agencies play the game. They don't play by the books; sometimes, they play hard ball. They are doing these antics because most let them do it. Why? Consumers don't know the rights they have; they are ignorant what the law allows and what the law prohibits.

Have you read the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act? If you haven't, get a copy now. Understand what's in it. Here's one you must know: The debt collection agency can only call one time in a day, but not more than three times in a week. Strike a consumer agent who harasses you with stressful calls with that knowledge. Certainly, they will flee from you.

Next thing to remember is there's power in information. Do you know how much you owe? You can request a free annual credit report from the three major reporting agencies. The annual report details how much you owe and who you owe. If one of your debts almost reaches the 7-year limit, don't do an action on it. It will fall off your credit report after seven years, but you do an action on the debt, it will start off the 7-year time limit.

With regards to knowing you rights, you keep a record of the calls you receive. You can use this information when filing a complaint with the FTC and the Attorney General's office. This way you can keep a record of who calls you and the time of the call. For your creditor's concern, on the other hand, be sure to tell them you can't pay the scheduled payment. They prefer to give you a good repayment schedule and term than to chase you.

Lastly, always keep the attitude towards the debt collection agency representative. As much as you can, keep your cool. If a representative calls you, be sure to ask politely for their information. Do not be angry with them. Never say you will not pay the debt. You will pay, but you just don't have the capacity to do that now.

Debt Recovery Tips

How to get out of debts? 

If someone owes you an outstanding debt that you are struggling to recover, you should not give up on that. In this guide, we will discuss the best possible ways to recover debts, which we will consider as bad debts.

Effective debt control and recovery processes can keep your company floating or your personal finances in check. A reply from your creditor can be met in several ways to expedite full or immediate payment of the debt. Here are some ways for you to increase collectability of bad debts or past due accounts.

Already Paid Excuse. If the debtor tells you that a check is already sent to settle the debt, you have to be quick and creative. Of course, you need to get details of the check, if there's any. Ask when was the check sent and to whom the check was sent. If after verification, the person (whom the check or payment was sent) did not receive the said check and the ten-day mailing period elapsed, ask for a new check. Assure the customer that if you will only encash one check, if ever there's a previous one.

If ever the check has been sent to the bank, be sure to call your bank to verify clearing of the said check. You need to know if the check reached the bank and the payment was credited to the account of the company. If the check was not cleared, for some reason, you need to ask for a new check.

Can't Pay Now. What has been the problem? Are there some ways to resolve the matter? If the person has defaulted on the pre-payment for a long time, you need to suspend the credit. After suspending the credit, you can offer a new repayment schedule or term.

However, if the default has been for a short period, it is good to give a leeway to the debtor. You can always negotiate on a payment option. Postponement of payment is a good option, or you can ask for installment repayment. Ask for a half payment at the moment, and specify a date for the balance.

Won't Pay Ever. As long as the debtor is willing to pay, you can't seek legal help. At the event of refusal to pay, however, you can ask for legal remedies. Of course, you can't put someone to jail because of defaulting to pay debt, but the court can protect you from an unwilling-to-pay debtor.

Promise to Pay. You don't have to harass the debtor. You can always ask them if they can pay on a specific date. A promise to pay on a specific date is better than never at all. Be grateful to the cooperation of the debtor and wait for that date.