Donkey God

If you choose to hire a patent practitioner, they will help you throughout the complex patent process. You may even consider granting them power of attorney over your patent application. This means they will be responsible for acting as a liaison between you and the USPTO in regards to your patent. In these instances, all the correspondence received from the USPTO will be handled through your patent practitioner. They will need to file all responses to Office actions, send in fees, etc…

Therefore, it’s imperative your patent practitioner keep in touch with you and let you know how the patent prosecution process is going. It is best if they are willing to send you copies of the correspondence they receive so you know exactly where you stand. The examination of a patent may take years, so a good practitioner will form a solid bond with you and follow through with all the paperwork, keeping you posted on any news.

This makes a patent practitioner’s job twofold. First, they must file a well written application, complete with all the required paperwork, and novel, descriptive claims resulting in the broadest patent protection possible (that way, it will be less likely for a competitor to infringe on your invention). Second, they must act as the liaison between you and the USPTO throughout the long and tedious patent prosecution process.

This second part is very important. If even one deadline is missed, your application will be abandoned. That means all the time and money you have spent up until then was for nothing. In addition, the profit potential for your invention can dwindle to nothing if you lose out on the patent.

The lesson is that if you choose to use a practitioner, you need to stay in touch with him or her and make sure they are doing their job. Do not just leave it all up to them - your invention is far too important. Even if you have a practitioner handle the correspondence, make sure you contact them frequently and let them know if you move - they may need to ask you questions, or they may need more money for fees that come up during the process.

Please visit Patent Law Portal to find a patent attorney or agent near you and begin the process toward protecting your invention.

The legal profession has a rich history rooted in the English justice system. Over the years, the terminology has become modified and the meanings have been muddled.

A lesson on the courtroom

Court rooms were made up of three sections. The first section was reserved for the legal bench where the judge sat. The third section was reserved for the common folk who came to observe the proceedings. In the middle section was where people with familiarity of the law could stand. They would be separate from the commoners and could address the judge. These three sections were separated by two rails, known as “bars,” from which we get the terminology of a barrister or that a lawyer is called to the bar.

For most people, the subtle differences in names of those in the legal profession do not matter, but is important to note that a barrister was originally not an attorney, although many people will refer to them as that today.

And the other guys

Aside from barristers, historically the other legal professional was a solicitor. The solicitor is the one who was an attorney. Barristers could represent a client in court but attorneys could appear in the place of a client.

Add to that the words “lawyer,” “counsel,” and “legal adviser,” and you get a mishmash of terms that has come to mean a legal professional.

If you find yourself in legal trouble or are involved in a lawsuit, you’ll probably not care where the term attorney came from. However, it is interesting to note the roots of our system that stemmed from tradition.

You will probably find lawyers, barristers, solicitors, and attorneys in the yellow pages all under the term “lawyer.”

It’s not surprising that such confusing titles and jargon comes out of the legal system!!!

Jeff Lakie is the founder of Injury Lawyer Resources a website providing information on Injury Lawyers

A majority of businesses have ownership groups of less than
five individuals. While this provides for efficient and
effective management, difficulties arise when something
happens to one of the owners.

If your business has multiple owners, ask yourself what
happens if:

The owners can’t get along?

One of you is hospitalized for an extended period?

An owner gets divorced [and the spouse is awarded half the
shares?]

An owner stops coming to work?

You want to sell stock to a third party?

An owner passes away?

One of you wants to retire?

Each of these events can severely disrupt your business,
particularly ownership disputes. If the owners can’t agree
to a course of action, they often end up in court and a
judge may get involved in the actual running of the
business. Many businesses that were otherwise successful
have failed because of such disputes.

How can you avoid these problems?

The best solution is to pursue an agreement between the
parties before there are problems. This agreement, sometimes
called a buy-sell agreement, is a contract between the
owners [and their spouses, if any]. The purpose of the
document is to address how disputes, ownership sales and
other events will be addressed before they happen. These
issues are much easier to deal when emotions are not
involved.

The most common issues addressed in the ownership agreement
are when and how equity interest will be bought back by the
business or other owners. Common topics include:

First Right of Refusal if a shareholder tries to sell
their stock;

Right of owners to buy the stock from the estate of a
deceased owner to avoid ownership by the children or spouse
of the deceased owner. This is often combined with life
insurance products to supply a means for making payment;

Right to buy back stock from an owner that files personal
bankruptcy;

Right to buy back stock from an owner that is found to be
mentally incompetent [drug addictions, etc.];

Right to buy back stock from an owner that fails to
perform their assigned duties; and

A buy-sell agreement is a smart and effective means of
short-circuiting ownership disputes before they occur. If
your corporation consists of two or more owners, you should
seriously consider putting an agreement in writing to avoid
debilitating disputes.

Richard Chapo is the lead attorney for the law firm
http://www.SanDiegoBusinessLawFirm.com - a firm providing
legal advice to California businesses. This article is for
general education purposes and does not address every facet
of the subject matter. Nothing in this article creates an
attorney-client relationship.

One of the most distressful financial horrors is bad credit. People who have bad credit generally look to get out of it by engaging the services of an independent business. However, with the innumerable number of similer companies all offering their own array of services, it can become difficult to select the best choice. Moreover, the fact that these agencies make it sound perplexed does not help the matter by a lot. Added to that is the difficulty of obtaining a loan with the existing global economic position; banks now ask for specially high credit ratings prior to granting a loan on positive terms. If you happen to be one of those people whose bad credit has wrecked financial position, then fast credit repair is what you need. Remember, that you do not need to have extensive know-how on fast credit repair. You can get out of that dreaded credit position without necessarily having to use the services of an independant company and pay sky high service charges.

A major source of bad credit is relentless use of credit cards. Avoid using a credit card where it’s not necessary. And if you can, get a monthly limit imposed on your credit card, so you don’t accidentally over-spend. This is one of the strategies used for fast credit repair and will help keep your credit card bills down. Furthermore, shut off any other unnecessary credit accounts. They may not accrue you any significant expenses, their visual existence on your credit statements can hurt your aggregate score. You’ll realize that fast credit repair is not really rocket science!

People usually tend to neglect the simple solutions to fast credit repair. They do not deal with the problem themselves. Rather, they employ costly services. These services are almost identical. They evaluate the credit reports of the person and draw up a decision which is based on their findings. This task is not complicated, rather something that can easily be achieved by the person himself. Thus, people are better off performing the simple tasks themselves, rather than paying expensive fees to get them done by others. Since, at the end of the day, getting yourself out of bad credit is something you must achieve yourself, and not the business you’ve employed the services of.

Long and frequent has been the debate amongst hikers and campers regarding the use of internal or external frame backpacks. Many old timers insist that external frame packs are the way to go, mainly due to years of utilizing externals, and reluctance (like all of us), to change. The younger generation tends to gravitate toward the trendy internal frame packs. It seems that the new wave of hikers are as much concerned with form as they are with function.
In my experience, having owned and used both types of backpacks, I have compiled some recommendations based on experiences on (and off) the trail.

External Frame Backpacks
Pros– Generally less expensive, more compartments, pack doesn’t rest directly on back, increasing ventilation.
Cons– Usually more bulky than internal frame packs, can impede hiking, and storing in tent.

Internal Frame Backpacks
Pros– More streamline, more compact.
Cons–Can be expensive, few compartments, pack rest against the back.

In closing, in a normal hiking environment, (on trail), I clearly prefer an external frame pack. I find them more comfortable, affordable, and much easier to organize pack items. Internal frame packs make it difficult to retrieve items, as most items are stored in the same compartment. Internal frame packs do have their place, generally in off-trail adventures. External frame packs tend to get snagged on branches and such easily when off-trail.

Isn’t it time to plan your next hike? What are you waiting for?

Forrest Treker is a path stomper from way back. Frequently blazing trails in the mountains of North Carolina. Join Forrest for a hiking good time at Discount Outdoors!

Has this ever happened to you… You’re at home enjoying your meal and you get a knock at your door. “My name is Jack and I’m calling from (company name), have you or your family had an accident in the last 3 years? If so you could be entitled to personal injury compensation?”

Now for that moment what are you thinking? Are you looking back over the last 3 years to see if you or your family have incurred any personal injury? Or are you thinking of slamming the door in their face or setting the dog on them?

The fact is each one and much more has happened to salespeople who go knocking on peoples’ door.

Firstly it’s not polite as they’re reminding you of your accident which could have been traumatic and secondly another personal injury company has said the same thing they are saying 2 days ago.

So in effect it gets frustrating and over time causes anger and you’ll probably take it out on a new recruit who is on their first day at work and you happen to be the first door.

So what is it? A Joke or a Need?

Personal injury has become a joke! Why? There are so many sales people knocking on doors for personal injury claims. In the beginning everyone was like ‘really, can you claim for this’ or ‘you should go and see this company for your injury’. Nobody was aware what was going on but millions of people were claiming for god knows what! Now over the pass few years it upset a few people.

Injured people weren’t getting their compensation. They were getting either a small proportion of the compensation or were paying out of their own pockets. In those days as claims were new, you had to believe everything. It was like, 9 month road to riches. But it never really was riches in your pocket however it was for them as they knew the game. They made it seem like they were helping you but in fact were helping themselves with your money.

Some people even today, who are injured, resist to claim compensation as previous traumatic experience left them in the dark and now confused. ‘I don’t wanna be conned again!’ Well I don’t blame them.
In reality, it’s definitely a NEED. Being compensated for something which wasn’t your fault. It could be a road traffic accident, trip, slip or fall even being assaulted on the streets on your way home. These are the people that don’t find it a joke. Their life has been disrupted by people who they never knew and now don’t want to know.

It takes a lot of energy, especially if there are psychological injuries involved in order to get back on track to a normal life. They either miss out on exams, work, events, holidays and in general ‘their’ own personal lifestyle. Everything happens in an instant… You’re enjoying your life and all of a sudden ‘bang’ your life changes.

You end up paying for medicine, specialists, travel expenses and other bills. So these people don’t think personal injury is a joke as they can reclaim their expenses and be compensated for their loss of enjoyment and injuries.

Stop these canvassers from spoiling the need of personal injury and giving it a ‘bad’ name. Proceed with the right specialists for personal injury can only make your life a hell of lot better.

Make no mistake this time and claim what you are entitled to, by law!
It’s easy to claim compensation and gain maximum results without the fear, costs, confusion and risks. Learn the 12 revolutions of the new 100% Compensation culture at http://www.100Percent-Compensation.co.uk

Adequate life insurance to cover your income producing ability is a product that is really needed today to give peace of mind. Life insurance was originally conceived to protect a man’s family when his death left them without income. Over time is has developed into a variety of policy plans. In a “whole life” policy, fixed premiums are paid throughout the insured’s lifetime; this accumulated amount, augmented by compound interest, is paid to a beneficiary in a lump sum upon the insured’s death; the benefit is paid even if the insured had terminated the policy. Under “universal life,” the insured can vary the amount and timing of the premiums; the funds compound to create the death benefit.

With “variable life,” the fixed premiums are invested in a portfolio (with earning reinvested), and the death benefit is based on the performance of the investment. In “term life,” coverage is for a specified time period (e.g., 5-10 years); such plans do not build up value during the term. Annuity policies, which pay the insured a yearly income after a certain age, have also been developed. In the 1990s, life insurance companies began to allow early payouts to terminally ill patients. In other words, a policy holder with a grave illness could now access some of their life insurance funds to use as they choose.

We’ve searched all over the web and have located a few quality companies that we feel are not only financially sound and secure, but which also offer competitive rates. You don’t need to even sit down and visit with an agent, all the information gathering and work can be done over the internet.

You’ll find the best life insurance for your needs that will comfortably fit into your budget. Solid life insurance will give you peace of mind and confidence.

Mike Yeager

Publisher

http://www.a1-insurance-quotes-4u.com/

mjy610@hotmail.com

The scene before me could be matched nowhere else on earth. Parched yellow grass spread out before us as far as the eye could see - broken only by the occasional umbrella tree and a few hundred thousand migrating wildebeest forming a dusty, thin gray line on the horizon to the north. As the sun pounded down from overhead, heat vapors danced up from the ground. This was the Serengeti - a place with no equal!

Nine days earlier my six-year-old son, Jerry, and I had arrived in Arusha, a beautiful Tanzanian ‘metropolis’ and the main jumping off point for those wishing to book budget safaris. As with all visitors, the word of our arrival spread like wildfire. By dinner the first night, three of Arusha’s tour operators were courting us. By breakfast our journey was booked.

Two days later we were off. Nothing was left to chance. A jeep, driver, cook, tents, water (though I felt it best to bring my own) and park permits, were to be provided for us as part of our safari package.

WILDLIFE ABOUNDS
Five days of photographic heaven followed. Tanzania’s best: Lake Manyara, Ngorongoro Crater, Olduvai Gorge all were our playgrounds. Each was an oasis offering its own unique landscape and unimaginably diverse wildlife. Finally, as I looked over the edge of Ngorongoro I put my camera down. No photo could do it justice. Those who do not venture there will just never know! All this grandeur, and still the place of my calling, the Serengeti, was ahead. This was the safari I had dreamed of.

An inconspicuous signpost in the middle of nowhere marked our arrival at my 14, 763 square km. field of dreams. We had four days to spend in the Serengeti. Yet, within twenty minutes giraffes galloped past in their slow-motion way. Playful zebras danced in dust storms of their own creation. Nearby, lionesses lovingly groomed playful cubs. This life long fantasy achieved was all laid out for our film to capture. What more did we need?

I know we needed a drink of water. I reached, I looked, I counted, one! There was one bottle of water alone in its box. Next, I added. Two people, six days out, three days left, 13 bottles of water gone. I suspected a flaw in the plan. With little choice, I begrudgingly surrendered the last bottle of ‘good’ water to my progeny. I would drink the questionable water provided by the safari operator the rest of the trip. Why not? After all, It was a safari.

An hour later, still roasting in our jeep, we photographed an incredible golden lion as he lazed in the mid-day sun. This magnificent beast was obviously oblivious to our presence. His bed, a gigantic reddish brown termite mound standing over three feet high, could easily have slept two more.

FRUSTRATION MAKES AN APPROACH
Inspired, and thirsty, it was time to go forth with the courage of that lion and consume the mystery water. Thomas, my driver, was a spotlessly tidy, smartly dressed, obviously well washed and well-watered fellow. As I approached, he flashed his perfect smile and asked what I needed. Water I replied. Thomas looked ‘off.’ “Ninataka maji ya kunywa” I tried. (attempting Swahili for I need drinking water) Ah, Thomas replied, “Maji hapana” (meaning no water). I tried English again. We still had no water.

I am sure my body temperature rose five degrees as I tried to figure out why Thomas had not brought any water from camp that day. Then, it rose another eight degrees while I tried to figure out why he did not need to drink anything. Oh well, we would soon return to camp where I would indulge in all the beige colored water I could ever hope for. I decided to tough it out. Se la vies. We were on a safari.

As evening approached, we relaxed in the shade near a water hole. The sweet sent of cool water filled the air. The emerald green pool shivered ever so slightly with each twitch of a hippo’s ear. When the sun sank low, the parched orange horizon beckoned for one last snapshot. It was time our crew headed for camp.

Meanwhile, back at the camp, our cook had dinner ready and waiting. Before the Jeep stopped my door was open. I approached him parched, “maji ya kunywa?” I said. He responded, “maji hapana.” “I mean water,” I regrettably snapped. “You must have some to drink!” Both Thomas and the cook shook their heads ‘no’ and looked at me as if I was crazy for thinking anyone would have water in the bush. Didn’t I know I was on safari?

Not being parent of the year, I took my sons water - some of it anyway. We put the rest away for morning.

CONTEMPLATING THE SITUATION
I sat grudgingly at dinner watching my son, my driver and my cook, all laughing together on the man side of the camp. As a zoologist, I knew they had to have water, didn’t they? Just how stupid did they think I was? Then the questions swam through my mind. How could we stay out here nearly three more days without any more water? What happened to the water the Tour Company agreed to send? What did the cook cook with? How was Thomas staying so freaking clean? If I killed my offspring and took his water, do they extradite me or would I stand trial in Tanzania? And, just how stupid did they think I was?

That night I sat by the fire under the most brilliantly lit sky I have ever seen. I sat speaking to Thomas, explaining that Homo Sapiens consumed water. It was a necessity! It was a fact! He didn’t buy it for a second. Ultimately, I gave up. I told my crew we would have to return to Arusha the next day. Had I been alone, I would have risked death by dehydration for one more day, but the PTA frowns on this sort of thing. Obviously annoyed by my insane whims the guys turned in.

The remainder of the night was dedicated to reflecting on days past, on our incredible experiences and on something else - something odd. The previous morning while we drove through a dust-ridden wallow, we had approached a Maasai Warrior walking barefoot through the grasslands. Thomas pulled near to ask of cheetahs and such. As they spoke, I eyeballed this magnificent looking man who leaned against the front of our jeep.

His long, twisted strands of hair were red with ocher and draped elegantly down his perfectly built back. He wore the traditional red Maasai fabric that was slightly tattered. In his right hand was a spear, pointed at both ends. In his left hand was the less traditional orange Fanta. Yes, I did a double take. It remained an orange Fanta. Thinking back, I recalled droplets of condensation. I was sure it was cold. I could not even come up with H2O, well enough a refreshing sugary beverage. Was I hallucinating? Was I even on safari?

VANISHING THROUGH THE BUSH
The sweltering heat of morning came all to soon. Breakfast with thick condensed milk, missed the spot completely and reconfirmed my decision to leave. The cook and I began to pack up camp. Jerry and Thomas (Tom and Jerry?) wandered into the bush together long before the work was finished - surprise! Whenever, I started any project the men tended to fade into the trees. In fact, completing the task at hand, I realized my moisture-retaining chef had vanished. An hour later no one had returned.

I was guarding our waterless belongings from a troop of misschevious baboons and could not go in search of my three self-osmoting delinquents. Besides, If the men perished, it would prove to them my theory that they needed water to live. Ha! I would be vindicated! Ritchesness would prevail! Thus instead, I sat filming my new found primate friends. After all, I was still on safari?

Half an hour later the guys emerged from the bush, talking casually as they slurped on their strawberry Fantas. My mouth dropped. Jerry nonchalantly pointed off behind them as he passed and asked, “Mom, why didn’t you came to the soda stand with us? You could at least have gotten some bottled water.” I stood defining dumbfounded! Were they slurping away each time they vanished? What was a soda stand doing in the middle of…? Why hadn’t someone just said it was…? Ah..? Was there a Denny’s in there as well? How silly of me to have expected them to mention this. Auuuuuug! Hadn’t I realized I was on a safari?

Zoologist turned satirist Nola L. Kelsey is the author of the scathingly wicked satire Bitch Unleashed: The Harsh Realities of Goin’ Country. She is also the coauthor of the twisted political satire Keeping the Masses Down. Kelsey’s newsletter, Nomadic Muse, is tracking her escape from South Dakota normality to her life as a shoestring backpacker in SE Asia. Excerpts from Bitch Unleashed and subscriptions to Nomadic Muse are available on her web site, www.NolaKelsey.com.

White water rafting is simply a blast and a great way to get away from the clutter of life. Alas, your rafting experiences can fade with time. The best way to prevent this is to keep a white water rafting journal.

White Water Rafting Journals

Take a minute to give some consideration to your most recent rafting trip. What sticks out in your mind? Where the rapids raging, the water low or somebody hilariously falling out of the boat? Now think about the first time you ever went white water rafting. I bet you can’t remember much about the trip besides a few snippets. The experiences you’ve forgotten are lost to time. If you keep a white water rafting journal, this won’t be the case.

There are famous instances of people keeping journals throughout time. Of course, Anne Frank’s Diary is the best example. In her diary, Anne kept a running commentary of the two years her family spent hiding from the Nazis. While your white water rafting experiences better be more lighthearted, keeping a journal will let you remember them as the years pass.

A good white water rafting journal combines a number of characteristics. First, it should be compact. Second, it should have a case to protect it from getting wet and turned to mulch. Third, the journal should contain blank areas to write your notes. Fourth, the journal should contain cue spaces to remind you to keep notes on specific things. Cues should include:

1. Who you went white water rafting with,

2. Where you went rafting and the time of year,

3. Who you met and contact information for them,

4. The river and weather conditions,

5. How challenging the river was, and

6. Any events that occurred while off the river.

At the end of the rafting trip, you should be able to get the following from your journal:

1. Contact information for other rafters you met,

2. Details of the trip, whether you would go again and perhaps better times to do so.

3. Memories to reflect upon years later, and

4. Something to pass on to your friends, children and grandchildren.

To get the most out of your white water rafting journal, you should write in it just before you start, during breaks such as lunch and when you return. If you go with friends or your family, the journal will turn into a keepsake for the family. During family events such as the holidays, it makes for great reading. As you grow older [and we all do], the journal will make great fodder for reflection.

White water rafting is a blast that shouldn’t fade with time. Make sure to preserve the experience with your white water rafting journal.

Rick Chapo is with www.nomadjournals.com - makers of white water rafting journals. Writing journals make great Christmas gifts for him or her. Visit www.nomadjournaltrips.com to read outdoor adventure stories.

free sports bet

Many betting devotees may recently have found the term “offshore sports betting”, though maybe aren’t altogether clear on what that symbolizes. A foreign betting site primarily operates extrinsically to the dominion of any particular state or it could mean an web based sports betting site that has the bulk of their computer servers inside the borders of a land where on-line wagering isn’t illegitimate. Succinctly then, it is a gambling site running outside of the supervison of the area of the player. Machine-accessible sports betting webpages are mainly modulated by 3 federations. These are OSGA (the Offshore Gaming Association), IGC (Interactive Gaming Council) and the Fidelity Trust Gaming Association (the FTGA).

The OSGA is an autonomous institute that audits the current overseas sports betting industry, they are trying to give the paying public the facility to swiftly select worthy organizations to play betting games with. It endeavors to watch over client’s rights, and in addition they don’t charge any yearly charges. The Offshore Gaming Association are a well qualified not to mention nonpartisan third party affiliation who pronounce nonpartisan impressions, indicated by customer feedback, independent scrutiny, phone conversations, tips and additionally dispenses inside news.

The Interactive Gaming Council are a non-profit-making agency. The organization was established to provide a forum for curious people to address matters and also to progress shared worries in the world-wide web-based gambling industry, in an effort to establish even-handed and also stable professional standard procedures and routines that heighten consumer trust in web based gaming commodities and utilities, and in addition to be of help as the industry’s universal practise counselor and in addition the council supplies an info base of operations.

The Interactive Gaming Council has built a name for honesty, fairness and also sincerity by virtue of the strict criteria it demands, and also its appeal for business organizations of proper practise. The Interactive Gaming Council regularizes overseas sports betting by championing a characteristic ten step working process and charges sports gaming web sites fees for using their logo. Vexed clients may, if they require, state their issues to the Interactive Gaming Council.

The FTGA was established in an attempt to present a benchmark to raise the policies of online gambling web sites. The IGC proposerealize that through partnering solely with internet sites of honorable reputation, they are able to develop an alliance of the most trustworthy and most professional overseas gaming companies in the world at large.

There are agencies which manage the practises of computer accessible sports gaming and which should assist to alleviate a few of the misgivings because of apprehension felt by numerous betters. World wide web based sports betting websites are nowadays totally safe, in that personal details aren’t submitted and the recompense not to mention the odds should be equivalent to a regular Vegas-style wager. These sites do away with travel costs, but still maintain of a casino, but nowadays you are able to game in your house.