It seems to be getting more dangerous each day when it comes to driving on NJ highways. Six people were killed yesterday in NJ from highway related auto accidents. In one case, a dump truck on I-280 in East Orange resulted in a fiery crash killing three people. Investigation so far shows that the dump truck driver lost control and slammed into a Honda that burst into flames. What was the driver of the dump truck doing that caused him/her to lose control? Police reported that while the occupants of the Honda died, the dump truck driver only had minor injuries reported. In another collision, a van struck a tractor trailer that was stopped on the highway. In a third accident, a motorcycle rider was killed when he slammed into a truck that was stopped. 

At this point, we don't necessarily know what caused all of these lives to be lost yesterday in New Jersey. However, what we can take from this is that we all need to do our part to pay attention and focused when driving. Don't worry about the radio. Don't worry about your cell phone or that text, email, Facebook update that just came in. IT CAN WAIT. Wait until you arrive safely at your destination to look at these things.

Nobody wants to be responsible for missing signs that something awful is about to happen, especially when it comes to schools. But for some reason, it has become a common trend that when a student or adult is not feeling right or feels he/she was wronged, he/she obtains a gun and causes harm to others, including innocent people. As a result, society as a whole is constantly on full alert.

In South Carolina, a high school freshman used the word "gun" in a home work assignment. As punishment, he was arrested and suspended from school. In the assignment, the boy wrote about "killing his neighbor's pet dinosaur with a gun he purchased to take care of the business." While it is understandable why someone could interpret this as a potential window into something else going on with this child, is it necessary to call the police because he wants to shoot an imaginary dinosaur? Get therapy, yes, absolutely. Has our society become so afraid of hearing certain words used that we react first and then think later?

The boy was arrested and now has a record as a minor even though there was no intent or plan to do anything. It was unfortunately a very poorly thought out joke about killing a dinosaur. The police searched his locker and book bag and found nothing. In the end, he was suspended for 3 days and returns to school again. The same school that had him arrested. Sure he learned a valuable lesson about when and where to use words. However, the issue still exists as to whether our society now lives in fear due to constant, increasing attacks and chooses not to use common sense when reviewing perceived incidents.

Typically, you only see this in movies. However, crazy things do happen in real life. A man in California was awarded a settlement from an insurance carrier after one of its workers assaulted the man. The insurance carrier paid $21k of the settlement monies in 5 gallon buckets of coins! There were 16 buckets of coins total containing quarters, dimes, nickels and pennies.  It took 8 of the insurance carrier employees to deliver the buckets of coins to the man's attorney's office.

Interesting thought! A photographer on vacation in Indonesia in 2011 was taking photographs when all of a sudden, a monkey, yes a monkey, grabbed his camera and took hundreds of photographs, including selfies of himself. Normally, if a photographer takes a photograph, he/she owns the rights. Does that mean that if a monkey takes the photographs the monkey owns the rights? Right now, the photographer and a website that has been using the photographs are fighting this issue. We will see what comes.

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/who_owns_the_copyright_to_macaques_selfie_wikimedia_denies_photogs_take_dow/

Luckily we do not practice in NY. The Orleans County Courthouse in Albion, NY was closed today for the second day in a row due to a flea infestation.  There is no indication where the fleas came from or how they multiplied so quickly. Hopefully they will get this under control. At least they cancelled court for those days until this is fixed.