Rockford, Illinois Motorcycle Officer Displays Skills at Biker Betterment Conference

When we we were leaving for the Biker Betterment Conference last week, something told us that we needed to bring our video camera. There was no doubt in our mind that something was going to happen that we needed to get on film for all to see. Well, it did and today we're going to share it. In this video below, a Rockford, Illinois Motorcycle Officer displays his competition skills in a demonstration.

This is a display of amazing friction zone control. The lady in the video mentions it, but we'll say it again here: Watch how his head always turns and points to where he wants to go. Great skill displayed here.

              

Obtaining Your Motorcycle License In North Carolina

CLICK HERE to request your free copy of "The Guide to Protecting North Carolina Motorcyclists & Their Families"

This past weekend an employee at our firm took a motorcycle riding class at Ray Price Harley Davidson located in Raleigh. When he came back, he mentioned to me that he didn't know that a riding section was required when obtaining your motorcycle endorsement in North Carolina. I figured this time of year would be a great time to go over exactly what you need to know before going to the Department of Motor Vehicles in your respected city and earning your motorcycle endorsement. Before we go into the requirements, let me mention that the class he took at Ray Price, which included a riding section that he had to pass to complete the course, omits him from having to complete the riding course at the DMV.

The following is directly from the NC DMV website on Motorcycle endorsements:
_____________________________
Who can apply for a motorcycle endorsement or motorcycle learner permit?

A motorcycle endorsement or motorcycle learner's permit may be obtained upon initial issuance of a driver license, or at any time thereafter, if you possess a:

full provisional (level 3) license;
a regular license;
or a commercial driver license.

What steps are involved in getting a motorcycle endorsement or motorcycle learner permit?
The steps to apply for a motorcycle endorsement or motorcycle learner permit are initially the same as the steps in applying for a North Carolina driver license, but with additional requirements, fees and tests.

MOTORCYCLE REQUIREMENTS

To apply for a Motorcycle Learner Permit:

If the applicant is at least 16 years old but less than 18 years old, the applicant must possess a full provisional license issued by the DMV. In addition a parent or guardian's signature is required.

If the applicant is 18 years of age or older, the applicant must possess a license issued by the DMV.

To apply for a Motorcycle Endorsement:
To obtain a motorcycle endorsement you must possess a full provisional license, a regular or commercial license.
MOTORCYCLE FEES

The fees for an original North Carolina driver license and learner permit are as follows:

Endorsement or Permit Fee
Motorcycle Learner Permit $15.00/ 18 months
Motorcycle Endorsement $1.75 / yr.*

Your license will be issued for a period of 5 or 8 years depending on your age. Ages 18 through 53 will be issued for 8 years. Ages 54 and older will be issued for 5 years. The cost of your license and any endorsements will be computed based on the yearly charge.

MOTORCYCLE TESTS

To get your Motorcycle Learner Permit you have to pass three tests: vision, traffic signs, and motorcycle knowledge. If you plan on getting a full Motorcycle Endorsement you'll have to pass four tests:

Vision
Traffic Signs
Motorcycle Knowledge
Motorcycle On-Cycle Skills (Road Test)

NOTE: Motorcycle skills tests are given on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 8:30am and 2:30pm, weather permitting. The knowledge test must be completed before the skills test is given.

If you are applying for your Driver License at the same time as your Motorcycle Endorsement or Motorcycle Learner Permit you will only have to take the vision and traffic signs tests once.
_____________________________

So there you have it. The North Carolina DOT provides a Motorcyclists' Handbook for study of the exams. You can view it here.

HealthFinder.gov

When we come across web sites which we think would be of interest, we love featuring them in a blog post. The latest one, we have come across by way of Bob Kraft's blog is healthfinder.gov. The website boasts a massive database of health related topics. Not only does it bring you the information en mass, but it shows you where the information comes from where you can know it's the real deal.

Along with providing all kinds of educational information on almost any health topic out there, the website can help you find medical providers in your area. It also has a page which keeps up with some of the more popular searches the website is receiving that month.

This is a great resource. Check it out and let us know what you think of it.

Friday Feed #45

Each "Friday Feed" we give you about 4 or 5 links of interesting stories. Well, when we came in the office today, we could only think of one story of interest leading us into the weekend. Click the link below to see what we're talking about:

Story of the Week

Have a fun and safe weekend and we'll see you back here on Monday!

$49,402......So Far

Yesterday, we posted about the Muscular Dystrophy Association Stride N' Ride and mentioned that this year's event set a record for the Raleigh MDA office. Well, the headline says it all. This year's Stride N' Ride event has raised $49,402. That is over $18,000 more than was raised last year! Awesome stuff right there.

Here's the thing: This isn't the final total number. This is what they have raised SO FAR! There is still time to be part of this record setting year for the MDA Stride N' Ride!! If you'd like to add to this record setting amount, give Krissy a call at the Raleigh MDA office at (919) 783-0222.

A huge Kudos to Krissy, Marcy, Mary, Laura and Vanessa over at the Raleigh MDA office for making this year's event a record breaking one!

2010 MDA Stride N' Ride Sets Record On A Beautiful March Day

Things are off to an awesome start for the Raleigh MDA office this year. In January, the Wilson, North Carolina Lock-Up exceeded its set goal and then this Saturday the Raleigh office set a record for most money raised for a Stride N' Ride event.

Rain showers threatened to cancel the March 13th event, but families and the Raleigh MDA office decided to push forward instead of moving it back one week. It couldn't have worked out any better. After the sun burned off the cool morning air, it was time to "Stride n' Ride." Around 220 people were on hand to take to the almost mile long walk around Crowder Park in Apex, NC.

It was a fun filled day for everyone who attended. We snapped some pictures while meeting and Striding n' Riding with the great MDA folks. Check some out below. You can see the whole album of pictures by clicking here.

Friday Feed #44

Architect spends 44 days creating world's biggest house of cards
Pretty wild stuff here, but some great pictures.

Benefits of Coffee: A Cup a Day May Keep The Doctor Away
StyleCast gives it's reasons why being hooked on Joe isn't so bad.

Five Curious Food Inventions You've Never Heard Of
From a 3D food printer to growing plants suspended in mid-air, foods of the future have arrived.

Why aren't we sleeping enough?
American's aren't getting enough sleep and it's hurting our health.

North Carolina's Guide to Nursing Home Negligence Excerpt: Why Did We Write This Book?

Below is an excerpt from the newly released book, North Carolina's Guide to Nursing Home Negligence. In the following text, Ben Cochran and Steve Gugenheim discuss the reasoning behind the writing of the book:

Every year, thousands of nursing home residents are seriously injured or die as a result of abuse and neglect in nursing homes. We wrote this book so family members of nursing home residents can learn about certain types of preventable injuries that occur in nursing homes. We also wrote this book so that family members of nursing home residents can learn about what they can do to help try to prevent their loved ones from having a serious injury in a nursing home.


After reading this book, you will discover that many of the serious injuries sustained by nursing home residents are preventable. Before accepting the nursing home’s statement, “These things just happen,” you need to know that some incidents do not “just happen.” Some incidents happen because the nursing home failed to take appropriate care of your loved one.

Sometimes incidents occur in nursing homes that are not preventable. Mostly, patients in nursing homes are very sick or dying. When we are investigating a case of alleged nursing home abuse or neglect, we always have to take into consideration the underlying medical condition of the patient and whether that underlying medical condition contributed to the injury or death. That is one of the reasons it is important that you hire an attorney that has experience investigating and prosecuting nursing home negligence claims. That experienced attorney, after conducting a complete and thorough investigation, will be able to tell you whether the injury was preventable or not.

To receive a free copy of North Carolina's Guide to Nursing Home Negligence, click here or dial 1-800-600-7969 and request a copy. We will send it out in 24 hours.

North Carolina Car & Motorcycle Insurance Requirements

In 1957, North Carolina became one of the first states to adopt a compulsory insurance law. Designed to compensate accident victims for losses and injuries obtained in accidents involving vehicles, the Vehicle Financial Responsibility Act, requires all motor vehicles registered in North Carolina to be covered by an automobile liability insurance policy. This insurance must be provided by a company licensed to do business in North Carolina and must remain in effect, with continuous coverage, until the vehicle registration is terminated.

The compulsory insurance law is designed for your protection and is strictly enforced. So much so that in the state of North Carolina, you must show proof of insurance in order to register your vehicle. Basically, you cannot own or operate a motor vehicle (including motorcycles) in North Carolina if you do not have liability insurance coverage on that vehicle. Liability coverage pays for bodily injury and property damage for which any individual covered by the insurance policy is held legally responsible.

The minimum coverage requirements for Liability Coverage in North Carolina are:

$30,000 Bodily Injury for each person

$60,000 total Bodily Injury for all persons in an accident

$25,000 for Property Damage

USA Today's Nursing Home Ratings Database

The USA Today always does a great job of taking large amounts of data and turning them into usable interactive databases. They do it for the stock market, sports and everyday life. The data bases we like to feature on this blog usually have to do with health care and today we're bringing you USA Today's Nursing Home Ratings Database.

The database is very simple to use. All you have to do is enter a city and state and it will pull up the nursing homes which were rated in that area. When you scroll over the overall score (between 0-5 stars) it shows how the nursing home was ranked in specific categories. Those categories include:

Survey

Quality

Staffing

RN Staffing 

When the USA Today ran the numbers of the over 16,000 nursing homes analyzed, they found that for profit facilities are more likely to provide inferior care when compared to their not-for-profit counter parts.

This is a great starting resource for those who may be looking into placing a loved one in a nursing home. Remember to always visit the facility and ask every question you can think of to the staff and nurses.

Hardison & Associates Introduces 6th Book Into North Carolina Consumer Series

In continuing the effort to champion education of North Carolina residents and consumers, Hardison & Associates has introduced their sixth free consumer book. In addition to books on Auto Accidents, North Carolina Workers' Compensation, Social Security Disability, Auto Insurance and Motorcycle Safety & Insurance, Benjamin T. Cochran and Steve Gugenheim teamed up to provide information on North Carolina nursing home negligence in North Carolina's Guide to Nursing Home Negligence.

Placing a loved one in another's care can be a difficult decision. For this reason, the book provides information and resources on choosing a long term care facility. The book also offers a checklist to take along when touring nursing homes to make sure all safety areas are covered.

For those who have already placed their loved one in a home, the guide offers the most common signs and instances of nursing home negligence. It will also offer plans of action when loved ones suspect negligence. 

To receive your free copy of this new addition to the series, you can either click here and request via Hardison & Associates website or dial 1-800-600-7969 and enter your request. We will send it out within 24 hours.

Friday Feed #43

The World's Most Admired Companies
For the 50 most admired companies overall, FORTUNE's survey asked business people to vote for the companies that they admired most, from any industry.

Steel Giants Floating on a Blanket of Fog
Some awesome photography of skyscrapes piercing through the fog. A must see.

10 MLB Milestones Within Reach in 2010
Baseball is right around the corner. Here are 10 milestones that could be reached this season.

10 Harmful Health Myths
Women's Day takes a look at 10 easy to fall for myths in the health field.

7 Ways People Woke Up, Pre-Alarm Clock
The title pretty much says it all. Check it out.

Lawrence, Kansas Woman Fights Long and Hard for Social Security Disability Benefits

Debbie Shirar's story starts out like many who are seeking Social Security Disability benefits. She had very little money and needed to visit doctors for her medical condition. After fighting the battle and getting help from an attorney, Ms. Shirar finally received her benefits and now can see the doctors she had been waiting years to see.  

In the March 3rd edition of the Lawrence Journal World & News (Kansas), Christine Metz paints a picture of Ms. Shirar's life in the three plus years she had to wait for disability benefits. With monetary funds at a minimum Shirar did what she had to do to get by. In an effort to make every little dollar she had count, she turned 30 days worth of medicine into 90 days.

Like we've said in many of our blog posts, these stories can be found in many places around the country. When we see one that ends with the person who has struggled for three years finally get their benefits, we enjoy sharing it with everyone, so please click on the links above and take a look at Ms. Shirar's story.

Social Security Hearings Backlog Falls to Lowest Level Since 2005

Some good news coming out of the Social Security Administration today. In a press release, Social Security Administration Commissioner, Michael J. Astrue, announced that the backlog is below 700,000. This is the lowest mark since June of 2005. Also, the average processing time is down from 514 days to 442 days. The full press release can be read below:

Michael J. Astrue, Commissioner of Social Security, today announced that the number of disability hearings pending stands at 697,437 cases -- the lowest level since June 2005 and down more than 71,000 cases since December 2008, when the trend of month-by-month reductions began. In addition, the average processing time for hearing decisions has decreased to 442 days, down from a high of 514 days at the end of fiscal year (FY) 2008.

“We have decreased the number of hearings pending by almost 10 percent over the last 14 months and cut the time it takes to make a decision by nearly two and a half months. This remarkable progress shows our backlog reduction plan is working,” Commissioner Astrue said. “With ongoing support from the President and Congress as well as the efforts of our hardworking employees, I am confident the hearings backlog will continue to diminish.”

Social Security has actively addressed the hearings backlog and increased the capacity to hold more hearings. The agency hired 147 Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) and over 1,000 support staff in FY 2009, and has plans to hire an additional 226 ALJs this year. The agency now has four National Hearing Centers to help process hearings by video conference for the most hard-hit areas of the country. The agency also has aggressive plans to open 14 new hearing offices and three satellite offices by the end of the year. The first of these offices was opened in Anchorage, Alaska on February 19, 2010.

Information That Could Save Your Life: How To Stop A Runaway Car

If you've been watching the news or keeping up with our blog lately, you've seen the news on the Toyota recall. Briefly, the recall of the various models of Toyota's were due to gas pedals sticking causing the car to accelerate out of control. If this were to happen, panic would definitely set in rapidly. Today, we're bringing you a video from Consumer Reports which shows how to deal with a runaway car. This is some information anyone could definitely use: