Fourth Of July SafetyWritten by Jill Nelson
Of all holidays throughout year, Fourth of July typically presents greatest risk of fire danger and injuries for adults and children. Unsafe use of fireworks, sparklers and glow sticks are a serious concern. These products can be potentially harmful to individuals of all ages. So, before you swirl around a sparkler, light a firework or sport a glow stick around your neck or wrist, keep in mind these precautions to ensure safety of you and everyone around you. As usual, Fourth of July celebrations show many types of fireworks and other explosives. Fireworks can be very exciting and fun to watch; however they have potential to become very dangerous to people lighting them as well as bystanders. When lighting fireworks, make sure you follow instructions and warnings on labels. If a firework does not burn when you light it, do not try and light it again, this can pose huge injury risks. Did you know that most firework accidents are a result of people going back to light a firework which did not light first time? The safest choice, if you want to see fireworks on Fourth of July, is to attend a local event, where you can watch a fireworks display created by professionals. This will be much safer for you, your family and your friends. Sparklers are a great way to light up night on Fourth of July. As exciting as these items may seem to small children, it is important that they be used only by children 5 years of age or older. Children younger than 5 years old are too young to understand how to use them properly. When using sparklers make sure your child’s clothes are tight-fitting, so sparkler does not catch fire on clothes. If you have children with longer hair, make sure their hair is tied back since it is very easy for long hair to catch fire. Keep Sparklers away from other people and when sparkler is finished, place it (hot end down) into a bucket of water. Do not put sparkler on ground – it can end up piercing a foot or starting a fire!
| | Bankruptcy - is it a good optionWritten by Joe L.Golson
Today more people than ever are turning to personal "bankruptcy" as a way of solving their financial problems. Estimates indicate that 2005 will see nearly 1 in 60 Americans filing for bankruptcy. People owing as little as $6,000 are unknowingly filing, not knowing of alternative methods of eliminating their debt. The reason people take this hasty action with such a low debt amount is harassment and overwhelming pressure from impatient collectors trying to recover their money. In case of Consumer Credit Counseling agencies, once they find that they are unable or unwilling to help, they will suggest "bankruptcy" as answer - unconcerned of effect it will have on your future. In bankruptcy, a court order forces all commercial creditors to cease and desist from attempting to collect debts you owe them. Depending on bankruptcy declared (Chapter 7 or 13), it stops wage garnishment, reverses judgments, and generally wipes out debt. For some people, bankruptcy is only sensible option. If you have $60,000 in debts, and you'll never earn more than $1,200 per month, then you're broke! The sooner you eliminate debt, sooner you'll have a fresh start. With more than 1.4 million bankruptcy filings in 2000, Congress is passing legislation that will make it tougher to declare bankruptcy. In "bankruptcy", certain personal property is treated as exempt. The banks and creditors cannot touch that property in attempting to recover money owed to them. Your home, car and other personal effects like clothing, and other assets are considered exempt, but this varies from state to state. Any property that is not exempt is liquidated and distributed to creditors under supervision of court. Since most people entering bankruptcy have only exempt property anyway, there's usually nothing left to distribute, so creditors typically get nothing. Seems like a good deal? Many people mistakenly see bankruptcy as a good, low cost way to rid themselves of debt. There are other costs associated with bankruptcy that make it a very bad solution for most people. The cost of filing bankruptcy itself is minimal. Depending on what state you live in, you can expect to pay anywhere from $400 on up to $1,600 for whole process. That's just beginning. The bankruptcy will stay on your credit report for 10 years - and on your court records for 20 years. The seemingly "low cost" method will cost you dearly as it will follow you for rest of your life. If you ever apply for a loan, job, apartment or insurance, one of first questions normally asked is "Have you ever filed for bankruptcy?" And, for rest of your life, you'll have to answer "Yes."
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