AIR QUALITY |
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Air quality generally refers to either the outdoor and indoor air quality standards set by the US Government that determines the acceptable levels of certain gaseous emissions.
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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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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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BUILDING CODE |
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A building code is a set of laws that specify how buildings should be constructed. This is generally considered the minimum acceptable level of safety for a new building in a jurisdiction. Building codes are generally intended to be applied by architects and engineers. There are often other codes or sections of the building code that have more prescriptive requirements that apply to housing (one and two family dwellings).
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CORRECTIONS |
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Corrections refer to one of the components of the criminal justice system. This includes halfway houses, parole programs, jails, prisons, and probation programs. In some countries, as well as in Western countries in the past, this also included judicially-ordered corporal punishment. Corrections is the process of trying to correct an individual so that they do not engage in criminal behavior.
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DUI - Driving Under Influence |
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Driving under the influence, drunk driving, or drink-driving, is the act of operating a motor vehicle (and sometimes a bicycle or similar human-powered vehicle) after having consumed alcohol (ethanol) or other drugs, to the degree that mental and motor skills are impaired. In addition to driving under the influence of alcohol and driving under the influence of other drugs, a third "DUI" offense consists of driving under the combined influence of alcohol and other drugs. The drugs causing or contributing to the impairment need not be illegal, but can consist of lawfully prescribed or over-the-counter medication. Anti-drunk-driving advertising campaigns have aimed to raise awareness of the legal situation and the dangers of driving while intoxicated. Drunk-driving is responsible for a very large number of deaths, injuries, damage and accidents every year.
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EDUCATION |
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Education is a social science that encompasses teaching and learning specific knowledge, beliefs, and skills. Licensed and practicing teachers in the field use a variety of methods and materials in order to impart a curriculum. There has been a plethora of journals, magazines, books, and digests in the field of education that addresses these areas. Such literature addresses the teaching practices, with subjects that include lectures, game playing, testing, scheduling, record keeping, bullying, seating arrangements, interests, motivation, and computer access. However, the most important factors in any teacher's effectiveness is the interaction with students and personality of the teacher. The quality of their relationships provides the impetus for inspiration. The best teachers are able to translate good judgment, experience, and wisdom into the art of communication that students find compelling. It is their ability to understand and overcome prejudices, generate passion, and recognize potential that enable teachers to invigorate students with higher expectations of themselves and society at large. The goal is aiding the growth of students so that they become productive members of a migratory society. An imparting of culture from generation to generation (see socialisation) promotes a greater awareness and responsiveness through social maturity to the needs of an increasingly diversified global society.
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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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ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH |
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Regulatory compliance, asbestos and lead-based paint assessment, soil/groundwater investigations, wastes classification, contaminant release mechanisms, geology studies, and endangerment assessments
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GEOLOGY |
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Geology (from Greek γη- (ge-, "the earth") and λογος (logos, "word", "reason")) is the science and study of the Earth, its composition, structure, physical properties, history and the processes that shape it. It is one of the Earth sciences. Geologists have helped establish the age of the Earth at about 4.6 billion (4.6x109) years, and have determined that the Earth's lithosphere, which includes the crust, is fragmented into tectonic plates that move over a rheic upper mantle (asthenosphere) via processes that are collectively referred to as plate tectonics. Geologists help locate and manage the earth's natural resources, such as petroleum and coal, as well as metals such as iron, copper, and uranium. Additional economic interests include gemstones and many minerals such as asbestos, perlite, mica, phosphates, zeolites, clay, pumice, quartz, and silica, as well as elements such as sulfur, chlorine, and helium. Experts who analyze slope creep, slides, earthquake damage, fault studies, environmental contamination, and construction claims.
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INSURANCE - HEALTH |
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Health insurance is a type of insurance whereby the insurer pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents. The insurer may be a private organization or a government agency. Market-based health care systems such as that in the United States rely primarily on private health insurance.
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INSURANCE - LIFE |
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Life insurance (Life Assurance in British English) is a type of insurance. As in all insurance, the insured transfers a risk to the insurer, receiving a policy and paying a premium in exchange. The risk assumed by the insurer is the risk of death of the insured.
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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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LAW ENFORCEMENT |
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A Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) is a term used to describe any agency which enforces the law. This may be a local or state police, federal agencies such as the FBI, United States Marshals Service or the DEA. It could also refer to a national police force such as the National Crime Squad. Also, it can be used to describe an international agency such Europol or Interpol.
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LIBEL |
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In English and American law, and systems based on them, libel and slander are two forms of defamation (or defamation of character), which is the tort or delict of publishing (meaning to a third party) a false statement that negatively affects someone's reputation. "Defamation" is the term generally used internationally, and is accordingly used in this article where it is not necessary to distinguish between "libel" and "slander".
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MEDICAL INSURANCE |
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Medical Health insurance is a type of insurance whereby the insurer pays the medical costs of the insured if the insured becomes sick due to covered causes, or due to accidents. The insurer may be a private organization or a government agency. Market-based health care systems such as that in the United States rely primarily on private health insurance.
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PRISONS |
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A prison is a place in which individuals are physically confined or interned and usually deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Prisons are conventionally institutions which form part of the criminal justice system of a country, such that imprisonment or incarceration is the legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime.
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PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR |
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A private investigator, or PI, is a person who undertakes investigations, usually for a private citizen or some other entity not involved with a government or police organization. They often work for attorneys in civil cases or on behalf of a defense attorney.
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PROCESS SERVER - PROCESS SERVICE |
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Service of process is the term given to legal notice of a court or administrative body's exercise of its jurisdiction over a person (defendant etc.) who is the subject of proceedings or actions brought before such court, body or other tribunal. Usually, notice is furnished by delivering a set of court documents to such person.
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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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PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER |
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Professional Engineer is the term for registered or licensed engineers in some countries, including the United States and Canada. Some individuals in these countries who have a degree in engineering from an accredited four-year university but do not have a license use the title Degreed Engineer.
The earmark that distinguishes a professional engineer is the authority to sign and seal or stamp engineering documents (drawings and calculations) for a design or a structure, thus taking legal responsibility for it.
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PUBLIC UTILITIES |
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A public utility is a company that maintains the infrastructure for a public service. Public utilities often involve natural monopolies, and as a result are often government monopolies, or if privately owned, treated as specially regulated sectors.
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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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SEX OFFENDERS |
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A sex offender is a person who has been criminally charged and convicted of, or has pled guilty to, a sex crime. As a label of identity it is used in criminal psychology. Especially in the United States and the United Kingdom, the person, if convicted, is most likely required to register with the respective jurisdiction's sex offender registry.
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TRADEMARK |
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A trademark is a distinctive sign of some kind which is used by a business to uniquely identify itself and its products and services to consumers, and to distinguish the business and its products or services from those of other businesses. A trademark is a type of industrial property which is distinct from other forms of intellectual property.
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TRADEMARK INFRINGEMENT |
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Trademark infringement is a violation of the exclusive rights attaching to a registered trademark without the authorisation of the trademark owner or any licensees. Infringement may occur when one party, the infringer, uses a trademark which is identical or confusingly similar to a registered trademark owned by another party, in relation to products or services which are identical or similar to the products or services which the registration covers. An owner of a registered trademark may commence legal proceedings against a party which infringes its registration.
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TRANSPORTATION |
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Transport or transportation is the movement of people and goods from one place to another.
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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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WRONGFUL TERMINATION |
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Wrongful dismissal, also called wrongful termination or wrongful discharge, is an idiom and legal phrase, describing a situation in which an employees contract of employment has been terminated by the employer in circumstances where the termination breaches one or more terms of the contract of employment, or a statute provision in employment law. It follows that the scope for wrongful dismissal varies according to the terms of the employment contract, and varies by jurisdiction. Note that the absence of a formal contract of employment does not preclude wrongful dismissal in jurisdictions in which a de facto contract is taken to exist by virtue of the employment relationship. Terms of such a contract may include obligations and rights outlined in an employee handbook.
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