Category: Miscellaneous
Click It or Ticket Campaign
June 12, 2013 | Jon P. EricksonMinnesota was a part of a national “Click It or Ticket” campaign over Memorial Day weekend. You may have noticed electronic freeway billboards advertising this “Click It or Ticket” effort. The campaign has been sponsored by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA} for more than 20 years. They have seen seat belt use go up to where they now estimate that 86{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3} of drivers nation wide now buckle up. The state of Washington leads with an average 97.5{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3} seat belt usage,with Minnesota at about 95{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3}. Since 2005, the state of California has erected more than 600 traffic signs supporting seat belt usage. The California Office of Traffic Safety claims that this public service message approach has worked, and Californian seat belt usage is now up to 96.6{a0c01d20c42349884e67ff80c137866b0a9fe47aaae8f8a86a605a369ae487c3}. My hope is that Minnesotans will continue to get the message, and by next year will be at the top of seat belt usage nationwide. BUCKLE UP!
Read MoreAvoid Overheating This Summer
July 12, 2012 | Adriel B. VillarrealWhen its -25 degrees in mid-January most of us Minnesotans long for the days of Summer. Well, according to recent weather records and the length of time it takes my vehicle to cool off, summer is here. We have already had a few days when mercury has been at or near 100 degrees. Add the wind, humidity and you can get a heat index that can be dangerous. The heat is most dangerous to the elderly, children and anyone exerting a lot of energy outdoors. The following tips offer a good review of how to avoid heat exhaustion / stroke. Drink plenty of water. It is important to drink fluid, especially if you are out in the sun. Water is your best option. Do not wait until you are thirsty to drink. Avoid beverages with alcohol, caffeine and sugar. They may sound good, but can actually speed up dehydration. Use a fan to circulate the air. Even if you have air conditioning, a fan which keeps the air moving, will let you set the thermostat several degrees higher and still be comfortable. Use your basement during the hottest hours. If you do not have air conditioning but you have a basement, set up housekeeping there for the duration. Basements are usually 10 degrees…
Read MoreInterpreters: Who They Are & What They Do
February 9, 2011 | Barna, Guzy & Steffen, Ltd.The United States is the home to millions of immigrants, many of whom do not speak English or have a limited ability with the language. Consequently, an interpreter has come to be of great importance, especially in the legal aspect of a person’s life. It is not only important that an interpreter be available for a non-English speaker, but that this interpreter be as accurate as possible. There is a difference when an individual is informed during an interview: “you can leave at ANY time during this interview” and then have the interpreter translate as: “you can leave AFTER the interview is done”. It seems like an insignificant difference; yet, you can see that from the beginning of this interrogation this person was not given the accurate information, possibly causing him additional problems. The Minnesota Judicial Branch maintains a list of Certified and Non-Certified Interpreters, who are available to be hired by the courts and the public. The court system helps coordinate testing and training of interpreters; as well as, oversees the implementation of policies to ensure that these individuals have completed the minimum requirements. If you need the assistance of an interpreter you can start your search at the Minnesota Judicial Branch website. When you have found an individual that seems to…
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