Posts

Following a vote by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission in favor of the idea last week, Pittsburgh became the latest of an increasing number of cities to share in the convenience, and controversy, of ridesharing services such as Uber and Lyft. The PPUC granted 60-day temporary authority to operate to both Uber and Lyft last week, after the companies agreed to meet the commission’s requirements to operate in the state, reports The Inquirer....

Facebook business pages, LinkedIn, and now the possibility of a Google+ business-oriented page. Should your business get in on the new Google+ expansion? According to a recent announcement on YouTube by Google product manager Christian Oestlien, while Google+ is currently focusing on a consumer-oriented social network, it will soon be launching a business-oriented site. Some businesses have already tried to jump the gun, creating profiles for their companies under a traditional user framework....

In 2010, California voters may have their say about the legalization of marijuana. Recently, more than 400,000 signatures have been collected through a legal petition drive to put the issue on the November 2010 California ballot. Lately, marijuana legislation has been a hot topic. As previously discussed, the Department of Justice released new guidelines addressing the enforcement of marijuana laws and medical marijuana. In addition, the Los Angeles City Council is still weighing its long attempts to limit the number of medical marijuana dispensaries operating in LA, while the LA County District Attorney vows to bust pot sales within the city as illegal under state law....

Two is company. Three’s a crowd. Traditionally, children have two parents, a mother and a father. More recently, courts have recognized that children can have two moms or two dads. But, can a child have two moms and a dad, or two dads and two moms? In some multi-parent states, yes! It only takes two people to make a baby. However with divorce, unwed parents, in-vitro fertilization, surrogacy, and multiple marriages becoming more common than 200 or even 20 years ago, children often find themselves with multiple acting parents....

The Supreme Court is hearing about two hours of arguments today regarding the constitutionality of the federal Defense of Marriage Act, commonly referred to as DOMA. The DOMA arguments are actually broken down into two parts. First, the Court is discussing whether it even has jurisdiction to hear the case. Second, the Court is considering the actual constitutional merits regarding one particular section of DOMA. Here’s a brief overview of the two arguments:...

Car accidents happen every day. Often, when a person causes an accident, their first instinct is to apologize and admit fault. However, in many situations, it is best to just be civil, handle the situation by the book, and even if you are at fault, call the police if tensions rise. Most states simply require drivers to exchange contact and insurance information so long as there are no injuries, and/or the damage is not significant....

The minute we fork over that lump sum at the beginning of our lease, we’re worried (or we should be) about how to get a security deposit returned from a landlord. Landlords are already keeping track of the kinds of costs they can deduct from your deposit, so you should equally as diligent about getting all, or most, of your security deposit back. 1. Inspect on Move-In. Make sure you and your landlord are on the same page with an inspection of the rental unit before you move in....

When you think of someone giving tattoos, you likely picture a vinyl seat in a tattoo parlor, where a gloved-up tattoo artist is preparing his tattoo machine with a sterilized needle. However, the popularity of ultra-affordable do-it-yourself tattoo kits is increasing, especially among those in their 20s and 30s, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. These kits allow intrepid artists to tattoo themselves or their friends from the often-unsanitary comfort of their own homes....

Regardless of whether you are in the early stages of your sole proprietorship or are a seasoned entrepreneur, you may have considered non-monetary ways to exchange goods and services. And you aren’t the only one. Numerous small businesses opt to utilize bartering to save money and make use of overstock. Bartering involves exchanging a set of goods and services for another set of goods of services. And note, there is usually no exchange of money in a barter relationship....

As temperatures rise, so do the cons. Scam artists often turn up the heat on unsuspecting marks, like homeowners, the elderly, and even high-schoolers, during the summer. So it’s important to know the kind of rip-offs that are going on to avoid becoming another victim. As high schoolers, college kids, and even law students flood the job market, scammers have been taking advantage via online interviews. You may be stoked someone is interested in hiring you, but don’t be lured into “interview fees,” buying or downloading training materials or company software, or giving away personal or financial information....

There are a lot of things to consider when you’re starting a business. How will you cover the startup costs? Will your title be “CEO” or “grand master?” How snazzy can your business cards be? And while you may hope to start your business right where you live, you might want to consider moving to a more business-friendly city with lower startup costs and more resources. Cities in Oklahoma, Texas, and North Carolina – among others – might be calling your [business] name....

The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) is worried about big brother watching you on social networking sites. The civil rights group released a press release on Dec. 1 that announced that it (in conjunction with the Samuelson Law, Technology, and Public Policy Clinic at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law) is filing a lawsuit because half a dozen government agencies refuse to disclose their policies for using social networking sites for investigations, data-collection, and surveillance....

Citing conflicts of interest, more than half of the federal judges in New Orleans recused themselves from BP oil spill suits. After the mass recusals, attorneys on each side began fighting over where the case would be heard, and by which judge. Lawyers for the victims of the spill of course wanted the cases to be combined and heard by a judge in New Orleans. Lawyers for BP requested that the cases be heard in Houston, where their headquarters are located....

A brain injury can easily happen to anyone for any number of reasons. Adventurers, athletes, accident victims, babies during birth, kids at play, and military veterans, are all at risk. But treating head trauma is very difficult, and the best bet is to prevent it. Now Defense Department scientists are focusing on pinpointing how brain cells change after experiencing explosions to learn how to improve protective equipment. Let’s consider their experiments and legal recovery for brain injury....

Running a business and being the boss has its challenges. One common struggle small business owners face involves firing employees who struggle with personal issues, illness, or disability. Sometimes an employee’s illness or disability can lead to work rules violations, such as missing work unannounced or taking additional break-time. This is common for sufferers of anxiety and depression. In addition to worrying about the health consequences of firing an ill employee, you may also worry about legal consequences involved....

One of the worst things a person can experience is the loss of a loved one. When that loss is due to the negligence of a medical professional or provider, a wrongful death case against them may be possible. Although it may seem crass or disrespectful to even think about the legal consequences after the loss of a loved one or family member, the law requires individuals to act in a timely fashion....

Texting has become the preferred method of communication in America today. We may not like it. But if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em! That’s exactly what numerous public defenders are doing in California, Maryland, Pennsylvania Virginia, and New York, with more states to come. These offices are using a distinct series of text messages to remind defendants of court dates, and the results have been staggering. If a defendant misses a criminal court hearing, a Failure to Appear (FTA) is issued along with a bench warrant....

The fact that the Federal Reserve Bank raised a key interest rate last month could be considered a positive sign. Is this an indication that the Great Recession really is behind us and that there is economic prosperity ahead? That would be great news for small businesses. But of course, there are dueling views. An editorial in Fortune warns that the rate hike might just be a sign that the big guys who pushed the market to the brink have recovered, not that there is smooth sailing ahead for small businesses or workers....

A new shift in how custody wars play out in court is occurring. Working Mother writes about how a trend with stay at home fathers coupled with working mothers has caused courts to grant primary custody to the fathers instead of the mothers. This has been primarily because of many mothers have a successful career. Men have been affected by layoffs more than women during this recession. This means that more dads are staying at home with the kids....

The Northern California Bay Area has more than its fair share of Tesla drivers, but some have garnered more notoriety than others. In the latest incident of Tesla Drivers Behaving Badly, it took police seven minutes of skilled maneuvering to pull over Alexander Samek, after he was found asleep, and drunk, at the wheel of his Tesla Model S, traveling 70 miles per hour down the freeway at 3:30 a.m. with his autopilot engaged....