AFFIRMATIVE ACTION |
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Affirmative action (U.S. English), or positive discrimination (British English), is a policy or a program aimed at increasing the representation of members of groups that have traditionally been discriminated against. This typically focuses on education, employment, government contracting, health care, or social welfare.
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ARBITRATION / MEDIATION |
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Arbitration is a form of mediation or conciliation, where the mediating party is given power by the disputant parties to settle the dispute by making a finding. In practice arbitration is generally used as a substitute for judicial systems, particularly when the judicial processes are viewed as too slow, expensive or biased. Arbitration is also used by communities which lack formal law, as a substitute for formal law.
Mediation consists of a process of alternative dispute resolution in which a (generally) neutral third party, the mediator, using appropriate techniques, assists two or more parties to help them negotiate an agreement, with concrete effects, on a matter of common interest. More generally speaking, the term "mediation" covers any activity in which an impartial third party (often a professional) facilitates an agreement on any matter in the common interest of the parties involved.
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AUTOMOBILE ACCIDENT |
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Car accidents are damaging events involving road traffic, particularly automobiles. They can cause damage to vehicles, people or structures. Car accidents also called traffic collisions, auto accidents, road accidents, personal injury collisions, motor vehicle accidents, and (particularly by American radio traffic reporters) crashes kill an estimated 1.2 million people worldwide each year, and injure about forty times this number (WHO, 2004). The term "accident" is considered inappropriate by some, as reliable sources estimate that upwards of 90% are the result of driver negligence.
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BANKRUPTCY |
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Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay their creditors. A declared state of bankruptcy can be requested by creditors in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed; however, in the overwhelming majority of cases, the bankruptcy is initiated by the bankrupt individual or organization.
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BIRTH INJURY |
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Occasionally during the birth process, the baby may suffer a physical injury that is simply the result of being born. This is sometimes called birth trauma or birth injury. 1 in 200 babies is born with some form of birth injury, and many of these cases may have been caused by medical negligence.
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BUS ACCIDENT |
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A bus is a large, motorized, wheeled vehicle intended to carry numerous persons in addition to the driver. The name is a shortened version of omnibus, which means for everyone.
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CEREBRAL PALSY |
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Cerebral palsy
is a term used to describe a group of chronic conditions affecting body movements and muscle coordination. It is caused by damage to one or more specific areas of the brain, usually occurring during fetal development, or during infancy. It can also occur before, during or shortly following birth. "Cerebral" refers to the brain and "Palsy" to a disorder of movement or posture.
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CIVIL RIGHTS - EQUAL RIGHTS |
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Civil rights are the protections and privileges of personal liberty given to all citizens by law. Civil rights are distinguished from "human rights" or "natural rights"; civil rights are rights that are bestowed by nations on those within their territorial boundaries, while natural or human rights are rights that many scholars claim ought to belong to all people. For example, the philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) argued that the natural rights of life, liberty, and property should be converted into civil rights and protected by the sovereign state as an aspect of the social contract. Others have argued that people acquire rights as an inalienable gift from a god or at a time of nature before governments were formed.
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DWI - Driving While Intoxicated |
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Drunk driving is the act of operating a motor vehicle under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. It is illegal in all jurisdictions within the U.S..
The specific criminal offense is usually called driving under the influence [of alcohol and/or other drugs] (DUI), and in some states driving while intoxicated (DWI) or operating while impaired (OWI). Such laws may also apply to boating or piloting aircraft.
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ELDER CARE / ABUSE |
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Elder abuse is a single or repeated act or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to an older person.
Elderly care or elder care is a broad term encompassing such services as assisted living, adult day care, long term care, nursing homes, hospice care, and Alzheimer's care.
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ENVIRONMENT |
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The natural environment comprises all living and non-living things that occur naturally on Earth. In its purest sense, it is thus an environment that is not the result of human activity or intervention. The natural environment may be contrasted to "the built environment."
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ESCALATOR |
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An escalator is a conveyor transport device for transporting people, consisting of a staircase whose steps move up or down on tracks that keep the surfaces of the individual steps horizontal.
A moving walkway, moving sidewalk, travelator, or travellator is a slow conveyor belt that transports people horizontally or on an incline in a similar manner to an escalator. In both cases, riders can walk or stand. The walkways are often supplied in pairs, one for each direction.
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FINANCIAL-REGULATION |
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Financial Matters experts & expert witnesses - Experts in forensic accounting and financial analysis including business litigation matters, securities, marketing, accounting, statistics and management. Serve as Financial Matters expert witnesses and Financial Matters forensic consultants in Financial Matters legal matters, and provide Financial Matters expert reports and testimony for judges, attorneys, lawyers, law firms, insurance companies and government agencies in Federal and state court trials and arb
itrations.
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INSURANCE - PERSONAL INJURY PROTECTION (PIP) |
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Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is an extension of car insurance available in some American states, which covers medical expenses and, in some cases, lost wages and other damages. PIP pays off regardless of who is at fault and is mandatory in some states, especially those with no-fault laws.
PIP can cover within the specified limits, the medical, hospital and funeral expenses of the insured, others in his vehicles and pedestrians struck by him. The basic coverage for the insured's own injuries on a first-party basis, without regard to fault. It is only available in certain states.
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LAND USE PLANNING & ZONING |
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Land Use Planning is the term used for a branch of public policy which encompasses various disciplines which seek to order and regulate the use of land in an efficient way.
Despite confusing nomenclature, the essential function of planning remains the same whatever term is applied. The Canadian Planners Association offers a definition that; "[Land Use] Planning means the scientific, aesthetic, and orderly disposition of land, resources, facilities and services with a view to securing the physical, economic and social efficiency, health and well-being of urban and rural communities"
Zoning is a North American term for a system of land-use regulation. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one part of a community from another. Zoning regulations fall under the police power rights governments may exercise over real property. Theoretically, its primary purpose is to segregate uses that are thought to be incompatible; in practice, zoning is used as a permitting system to prevent new development from harming existing residents or businesses. Zoning is commonly controlled by local governments such as counties or municipalities.
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MALPRACTICE, LEGAL |
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As the population of lawyers grows, the number of legal malpractice cases will also increase at the same rate. Statistics indicate that the number of legal malpractice cases is increasing at a rate greater than the growth of the legal industry. The reasons for this discrepancy include increased consumerism, higher client expectations, better educated clients, the need for more specialized legal skills, and the growth in similar fields of litigation.
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MALPRACTICE, MEDICAL |
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The basic definition of medical malpractice is an act or omission by a health care provider which deviates from accepted standards of practice in the medical community and causes injury to the patient. The word malpractice has a connotation of greater culpability than negligence. In the United States and other countries, a specific medical malpractice law has developed. In English law, the issue of liability is a subset of professional negligence where, under the Bolam Test, a doctor will be liable unless shown to have acted in accordance with a reasonable body of medical opinion.
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MARITAL DISSOLUTION - DIVORCE |
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Divorce or dissolution of marriage is the ending of a marriage before the death of either spouse, which can be contrasted with an annulment, which is a declaration that a marriage is void, though the effects of marriage may be recognized in such unions, such as spousal support, child custody and distribution of property.
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MOTOR VEHICLE ACCIDENT MVA |
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Motor-vehicle collisions are damaging events involving road traffic, particularly automobiles. They can cause damage to vehicles, people or structures. Motor-vehicle collisions also called traffic collisions, auto accidents, road accidents, car accidents, personal injury collisions, motor vehicle acccidents, and (particularly by American radio traffic reporters) crashes kill an estimated 1.2 million people worldwide each year, and injure about forty times this number.
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NURSING |
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Registered Nurses are professional nurses who often supervise the tasks performed by Licensed Practical Nurses, orderlies, medical assistants and nursing assistants. They provide direct care and make decisions regarding plans of care for individuals and groups of healthy, ill and injured people.
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NURSING HOMES - GERIATRICS |
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A nursing home or skilled nursing facility (SNF) is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant Activity of Daily Living (ADL) deficiencies. Residents include the elderly and younger adults with physical disabilities. Adults 18 or older can stay in a skilled nursing facility to receive physical, occupational, and other rehabilitative therapies following an accident or illness. In the US, nursing homes are required to have a licensed nurse on duty 24 hours a day, and during at least one shift each day, one of those nurses must be a Registered Nurse. In April, 2005 there were a total of 16,094 nursing homes in the United States, down from 16,516 in December, 2002. Some states have nursing homes that are considered NF or nursing facility......these homes do not have beds certified for Medicare patients, but can only treat patients whose payments source is Private Pay or Medicaid.
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POLICE BRUTALITY |
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Police brutality is a term used to describe the excessive use of physical force, assault, verbal attacks, and threats by police officers. Widespread, systematic police brutality exists in many countries, even those which prosecute it. Brutality is one of several forms of police misconduct which include; false arrest, intimidation, racial profiling, political repression, surveillance abuse, sexual abuse, and police corruption.
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PRODUCT LIABILITY |
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Product liability can mean a defective product that has caused you a injury or an illness. Product liability encompasses a number of legal claims that allow an injured party to recover financial compensation from the manufacturer or seller of a product.
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REAL ESTATE |
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Real estate or immovable property is a legal term (in some jurisdictions) that encompasses land along with anything permanently affixed to the land, such as buildings. Real estate (immovable property) is often considered synonymous with real property (also sometimes called realty), in contrast with personal property (also sometimes called chattel or personalty).
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REAL ESTATE BROKER / AGENT |
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A real estate broker is a party who acts as an intermediary between sellers and buyers of real estate and attempts to find sellers who wish to sell and buyers who wish to buy. In the United States, the relationship was originally established by reference to the English common law of agency with the broker having a fiduciary relationship with his clients. Estate agent is the term used in the United Kingdom to describe a person or organization whose business is to market real estate on behalf of clients.
In the US, real estate brokers and their salespersons (commonly called real estate agents) assist sellers in marketing their property and selling it for the highest possible price under the best terms. When acting as a Buyers agent with a signed agreement, they assist buyers by helping them purchase property for the best possible price under the best terms. Due to the importance of this role, most brokers that seek to play the role of client advocate are now seeking out the services of Certified Mortgage Planners, industry experts that work in concert with Certified Financial Planners to align consumers' home finance positions with their larger financial portfolio(s). Without an agreement, brokers may assist buyers in the acquisition of property but still represent the seller and the seller's interests.
In most jurisdictions in the United States, a person is required to have a license in order to receive remuneration for services rendered as a real estate broker. Unlicenced activity is illegal, but buyers and sellers acting as principals in the sale or purchase of real estate are not required to be licenced. In some states, lawyers are allowed to handle real estate sales for compensation without being licenced as brokers or agents.
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SLIP FALL ACCIDENTS |
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A "slip and fall" or "trip and fall" is the generic term for an injury happening when someone slips, trips or falls as a result of a dangerous or hazardous condition on someone else's property. It includes falls as a result of water or a banana peel or a grape on the floor of a store, ice or snow on an outside sidewalk, oil in a parking lot, abrupt changes in flooring, poor lighting, or a hidden hazard, such as a gap or hard to see hole in the ground.
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TRAUMA |
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Physical trauma, an often serious and body-altering physical injury, such as the removal of a limb.
Psychological trauma, an emotional or psychological injury, usually resulting from an extremely stressful, life-threatening, or spirit-murdering situations.
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WORKERS COMPENSATION |
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Workers compensation systems (workers comp or compo) provide for financial compensation for work-related injuries of employees, in particular compensation of loss of wages, sometimes also for medical costs. These laws are usually a feature of highly developed industrial societies. Employees compensation laws are often only implemented after long and hard fought struggles by trade unions, particularly in early industrialisation. There are often benefits available to dependents of workers killed on the job as well.
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WRONGFUL DEATH |
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Wrongful death is a claim in common law jurisdictions against a person who can be held liable for a death. The claim is brought in a civil action, usually by close relatives. The claim is the result of statute. Under common law, a dead person cannot bring a suit, and this created a legal hole in which activities that resulted in a persons injury would result in civil sanction but activties that resulted in a persons death would not.
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