Snow boots will help you sace life in winter driving

With the road hazard ice is providing during winter months, it is inevitable that the numbers on road-related mishaps are that high. With this in mind, AAA MIchigan is prompting automotive owners to get their heads up and brace for another season of risky road conditions by driving defensively. They have come up with a rundown of tips to ensure safety while driving during snow boots .
- Before starting out in snowy weather, take time to remove the snow from the entire car so it doesn’t blow onto your windshield or the windshields of other drivers. Make sure your mirrors and lights are clean as well.
- Drive with your low-beam headlights illuminated.
- When the roads are icy, slow down and allow extra time to reach your destination. Even better, delay your trip, stop early for the day, or take an extended break from driving. Using an online service such as the TripTik Travel Planner at AAA.com can help you find restaurants and lodgings.
- Allow sufficient room for maintenance vehicles and plows, stay at least 15 car lengths (200 feet) back and, if you need to pass, go to the other vehicle’s left.
- Watch for icy surfaces on bridges and intersections, even when the rest of the road seems to be in good condition.
- If you get stuck in snow, straighten the wheel and accelerate slowly. Add sand or salt under the drive wheels to help avoid spinning the tires.
- If your tires lose traction, continue to look and steer in the direction you want to go. If the drive wheels start to spin or slide while going up a hill, ease off the accelerator slightly and then gently resume speed.
- Look farther ahead in traffic. Actions by other drivers will alert you to problems and give you extra seconds to react.
- When changing lanes, avoid cutting in front of trucks, which need more time and distance than passenger vehicles to stop.
- Don’t use cruise control in precipitation and freezing temperatures.
- Remember that four-wheel drive helps you to get going quicker, but it won’t help you stop any faster.
- Apply constant, firm pressure to the pedal with anti-lock brakes.
- Keep emergency supplies in the vehicle, including cell phone, winter Boots , gloves, hat, blanket, ice scraper, snow brush, flashlight, matches and candle and reflective triangle or flares.

Domain names snared in counterfeit bust

When federal agents go online to bust counterfeit goods, a few of their favorite things are sports jerseys, DVDs, handbags, golf clubs and poseur UGG boots. Bright copper kettles? No. But full seasons of Curb Your Enthusiasm, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Tales from the Crypt were on the wish lists.
Right in time for the busy online shopping day dubbed Cyber Monday, federal courts ordered the seizure of 82 web domain namesin a federal crackdown announced by U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. and John Morton, director of the Department of Homeland Security's Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Agents across the country posed as Internet customers and ordered supposed high-end goods, including buys that caused 17 domain names to be seized through the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The goods were not in the Washington area; the faux ICE shopper buying the reputedly fake items was. The suspect goods identified in court filings came chiefly from domain names traced to China.
"The blatant sale of counterfeit goods over the Internet during the holiday season is conduct that cannot and will not be tolerated," said Ronald C. Machen Jr., U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia. The sale of counterfeit goods, he said, "weakens our economy, pushes substandard merchandise to consumers, and diminishes incentives for innovation and creativity."
Let it be noted, the agent working on the D.C. arm of the investigation dealt with some of the same headaches as regular shoppers do, according to court records.
The Louis Vuitton Mahina Leather gray bag promised by a site was out of stock. "Order something else," came a reply after the agent's credit card purchase for $245 went through on the gray, the agent said in a court affidavit.
He replaced it with an order for a beige bag. A replica jersey for Hall of Fame Cleveland Indians shortstop Lou Boudreau (1948 team) was sold out. The agent had better luck with the alleged Cleveland Browns jersey for Josh Cribbs.
So who among local sports celebrities was a big enough name to attract a counterfeiter's time? As court files show, the Redskins' quarterback Donovan McNabb and Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg were given a nod in jerseys that the agent determined violated trademark protections.
The goodies won't go into anyone's stocking. They have been seized and, after legal proceedings, likely will be destroyed.

Preparation and safety are keys to ice fishing

Now that the hunting season is coming to an end, we have to look ahead to ice-fishing season. Could we have early ice this year? That would be a switch. Or will we have another winter like last year's?

I hope so, but knowing what Mother Nature can do scares the heck out of me, as she might decide to make up for last year. Then we would have something to talk about as we wile away the hours waiting for ice-out and the return to spring fishing.

It's been a long time since we've had a tough winter and had safe ice in December that stayed around through mid-April. Is this the year? We have to assume that ice-in will take place in late December, so get your shanties in shape, check out your rods, line, hooks and all of the other paraphernalia that you take to the lake. As I have said in the past, do not venture out on the ice until you know if it is safe.

Never guess the thickness of the ice — check it. Check the ice in several different places using an auger or some other means to make a test hole, and determine the thickness, beginning at the shore and continuing as you go out.

Check the ice with a partner, so if something does happen, someone is there to help you. If you are doing it alone, wear a life jacket.

If ice at the shoreline is cracked or squishy, stay off. Watch out for thin, clear or honeycombed ice. Dark snow and dark ice are other signs of weak spots.

Avoid areas with currents, around bridges and pressure ridges. Wind and currents can break ice.

Parents should alert children of unsafe ice in their area, and make sure that they stay off the ice. If they insist on using their new skates, suggest an indoor skating rink.

If you break through the ice, remember:

• Don't panic.
• Don't try to climb out immediately — you will probably break the ice again. Reach for solid ice.
• Lay both arms on the unbroken ice and kick hard. This will help lift your body onto the ice. Once on the ice, roll, don't walk, to safety.

To help someone who has fallen through the ice, lie down flat and reach with a branch, plank or rope, or form a human chain. Don't stand. After securing the victim, wiggle backwards to the solid ice.

Safe ice guidelines are as follows, for new, clear ice only:

• 2 inches or less — stay off
• 4 inches — may allow ice fishing or other activities on foot
• 5 inches — often allows for snowmobile or ATV travel
• 8-12 inches of good ice supports most cars or small pickups
• 12-15 inches will likely hold a medium-sized truck.

Check with the local bait and tackle shops, as they will know how thick the ice is.

However, early in the season or if we have warm days followed by cold nights and cool days, watch for water on the surface. This usually means thin ice allowing water to come up on the surface. Not always, but it is a concern. Be careful.

Obama agree to pay for Biden's debt

state and municipal government debt market similar to the recently announced program for the commercial paper market. The Federal Reserve should

determine whether it has sufficient legal authority to establish such a facility on its own -- if not, it should work with Treasury and the Congress to

achieve this goal. This new facility should be designed to protect taxpayer resources while ensuring that state and local governments can continue to

provide vital services to their residents. In a separate vote, the FEC rejected a bid by the wireless industry to allow Americans to make campaign contributions to politicians by sending text
The campaigns asked the FEC for permission to make the cash transfer after the FEC ordered Mr. Biden's campaign to pay $219,005 to the U.S.

Treasury. An FEC audit previously found the Biden campaign took excessive contributions and a failed to repay the owner of a corporate jet for a flight

between New Hampshire and Iowa.Mr. Biden ended his presidential bid after a fifth-place showing in the Iowa caucuses. According to a recent FEC filing, his campaign had only $82,000 cash on hand. If the Obama campaign wasn't allowed to transfer the cash, Mr. Biden's campaign would have had to resume fundraising to pay off its debts.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden believe that our systemic financial market crisis requires a systemic response. They fought to ensure that the recently-passed financial rescue package gave the Treasury the tools to stabilize the financial system, while protecting taxpayers and ensuring CEOs

would not get rich in the process. However, this stabilization will only occur if the Treasury, Federal Reserve, FDIC, and other government entities use

their authority and move quickly and aggressively to address the financial crisis.
Barack Obama and Joe Biden wear on monday propose that the Federal Reserve and the Treasury work together to design a facility to provide a funding backstop to the

messages on their cell phones.
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) who interested in said the Obama campaign can transfer $138,000 to the Biden for President campaign to cover debts.