Monthly Archives: September 2008

Social Security Administration Admits Challenges

Written On September 29, 2008 By Bob Kraft

In a recently announced "Strategic Plan Fiscal Years 2008 – 2013" the Social Security Administration lists the challenges the agency faces. I agree with this list, although I might add a couple of items to it. The Social Security Administration’s service to our clients is deteriorating, which is bad for our clients and bad for [...]

Posted in Government, Social Security, Social Security Disability

Friday Fun

Written On September 26, 2008 By Bob Kraft

I guess this site could be more useful than funny, depending on your circumstances at the moment, but I think it’s pretty humorous. It’s for people who need to locate a public toilet. You’d better plan ahead unless you have a smart phone that will let you access the Internet as you’re walking or driving [...]

Posted in Friday Fun

Featured Link – Real Car Prices

Written On September 25, 2008 By Bob Kraft

The Web site RealCarTips can be useful for anyone considering the purchase of a new car. The site lists what they say are the actual prices paid for certain new models in different parts of the country. I can’t vouch for the accuracy of the prices here, but if I were about to buy a [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link

Lawyers Inner Circle Management And Marketing Conference

Written On September 24, 2008 By Bob Kraft

I’ve just finished day one of a three-day legal marketing and management conference put on by Lawyers Inner Circle. Like each of the other Lawyers Inner Circle conferences I have attended over the past few years, this one is excellent. I very highly recommend this group to any personal injury lawyer. Read more about the [...]

Posted in Bar Associations and Legal Groups, Law Firm Marketing, Practice Tips

Today Is National Punctuation Day!

Written On September 24, 2008 By Bob Kraft

Punctuation is a subject near and dear to my heart, and I’m thrilled that today is officially National Punctuation Day. Visit the Web site and get all your questions about commas and semicolons answered.

Posted in Miscellaneous

Featured Link – Family Caregiver Alliance

Written On September 23, 2008 By Bob Kraft

The Web site of the Family Caregiver Alliance is a very good resource for people who are responsibile for loved ones who are disabled or otherwise unable to care for themselves. Here you’ll find articles, tips, and links to other sites. This is the mission statement of the Alliance:
Family caregiving is typically at the core [...]

Posted in Disability, Featured Link, Medical and Health Resources

Don’t Get Hooked By Consumer Fraud

Written On September 22, 2008 By Bob Kraft

This article is excerpted from the portion of the Web site of the Texas Attorney General devoted to protecting senior citizens. But the information is important and relevant to people of all ages. These scams can occur in person or by telephone, but these days are much more likely to pop up on the Internet. [...]

Posted in Consumer Information

New York Railroad Gives Disabled Workers A Bad Name

Written On September 21, 2008 By Bob Kraft

A disturbing story about disabled railroad workers
appeared today in the New York Times. The implication of the article is
that many, if not most, of the retired employees of the Long Island
Rail Road are faking disability claims. The sad thing is that the Times
appears to be correct. This makes claims harder to make for truly
disabled workers. [...]

Posted in Disability

Federal Regulations To Be Updated For Construction Cranes

Written On September 20, 2008 By Bob Kraft

The Associated Press reports that for the first time since 1971 the federal government is to update building crane regulations and will require crane
operators nationwide to pass a certification test. This change by the U.S. Department of Laborfollows deadly accidents in several U.S. cities, including Houston, and serious injuries caused by crane collapses in Dallas.Here [...]

Posted in Product Liability or Medical Devices, Workers' Compensation

Friday Fun

Written On September 19, 2008 By Bob Kraft

I love optical illusions, and this is a good collection of optical illusions. For some of them you need to click the link to the original site to get the full benefit. Enjoy!

Posted in Friday Fun

Opposition Strong To Legislation For Charter Bus Seat Belts

Written On September 18, 2008 By Bob Kraft

That was the headline of a story in the Dallas Morning News today. This issue seems like such a no-brainer to me that I cannot comprehend how our legislators can manage to keep avoiding passing a law requiring seat belts on buses. How many deaths and injuries have to occur before someone takes action?
Excerpts of [...]

Posted in Political and/or Judicial, Vehicle Law or News

Sleep Disorders And Social Security Disability

Written On September 18, 2008 By Bob Kraft

Many people suffer from various sleep disorders. The Social Security Administration recognizes a variety of causes for sleeping disorders including: Sleep Apnea, Bi-Polar Disorder, and Narcolepsy. 
The first listing is 3.10 for Sleep Related Breathing Disorders. Generally this will be sleep apnea. To establish a disability under this listing Social Security is looking for one [...]

Posted in Disability, Social Security Disability

Please Help Lawyers Affected By Hurricane Ike

Written On September 16, 2008 By Bob Kraft

This notice is from the State Bar of Texas. Please help if you can.
Dear Texas attorney,
Hurricane Ike has devastated our Gulf Coast. Twenty-nine Texas counties have been declared disaster areas eligible for FEMA relief. Galveston, Jefferson, and Orange counties were hit particularly hard.
As lawyers in affected counties turn their attention from immediate concerns [...]

Posted in Bar Associations and Legal Groups

ATLAS Marketing And Management Conference

Written On September 15, 2008 By Bob Kraft

I want to thank Pennsylvania attorney Chris Munley for inviting me to be a speaker at the ATLAS
conference last week in Phoenix. The conference was a tremendous success (in
spite of the fact that I was a speaker), and I think all the
participants enjoyed it greatly.

The next conference will be in March 2009 in Orlando.

Posted in Bar Associations and Legal Groups

Featured Link – WhyVoteNow.org

Written On September 13, 2008 By Bob Kraft

WhyVoteNow.org is a nonpartisan project to register voters and encourage them to actually cast a ballot. It’s shameful how many Americans don’t exercise their hard-won right to vote. Whatever your political affiliation, please register and vote this November. Here is a statement from the Web site:
Almost  one-half of Americans do not vote. Millions  of qualified [...]

Posted in Featured Link, Political and/or Judicial

Friday Fun

Written On September 12, 2008 By Bob Kraft

Here’s a retail products Web site that had a very clever programmer with a good sense of humor. Give it a couple of seconds to start, and be sure your speakers are turned on.

Posted in Friday Fun

Featured Link – LemonJustice.com

Written On September 11, 2008 By Bob Kraft

I’ve written before about the Lemon Meter at LemonJustice.com. It’s a very slick feature. But this whole site is worth checking out.
It’s a legal blog, written by Connecticut attorney Sergei Lemberg and others at his law firm. The site covers auto "lemon laws" throughout the country. So if you think the automobile you recently bought [...]

Posted in Consumer Information, Featured Link, Vehicle Law or News

Featured Link – HandicappedFraud.org

Written On September 10, 2008 By Bob Kraft

One thing that angers and irritates many of us is the fraudulent use of handicapped parking spaces. So many people have access to real or counterfeit handicapped placards that I’ve become suspicious of almost anyone parked in a handicapped spot these days.
Some people get upset enough about this abuse to do something about it. One [...]

Posted in Disability, Featured Link, Social Security Disability

Featured Link – WorldOfGood.com

Written On September 9, 2008 By Bob Kraft

I’m not quite sure what to make of this site yet, but I think their intentions are admirable. eBay has spun off a separate site called WorldOfGood, supposedly for people to sell earth-friendly or otherwise well-intentioned products. It’s worth a look.
About WorldofGood.com by eBay
WorldofGood.com by eBay is the world’s first online marketplace to convene thousands [...]

Posted in Featured Link, Miscellaneous

What To Do When An Elderly Driver Is A Safety Risk

Written On September 8, 2008 By Bob Kraft

Newsweek recently ran an excellent article about elderly drivers, and the warning signs that they may be a risk to their own safety or to the safety of those around them. The subtitle of the article was "A roadmap for when you see signs that your elderly parent isn’t capable of driving safely." I don’t [...]

Posted in Vehicle Law or News