Drunk Drivers - 10 ways to spot them

It has been reported that there are as many as 10% of the drivers out on the streets on any Friday or Saturday night who may be legally drunk. What can you do to make sure you are not a victim of someone else’s DUI. Here are some good tips for your safety.

• Look out for cars traveling at a much slower speed than the other cars in the traffic flow.
• Keep well clear of the driver who is straddling the lane lines or drifting across them.
• Any driver making excessively wide or erratic turns.
• Keep back from tail gaiters. If they hit the car in front you could be pulled into the crash
• A driver who is speeding up and slowing down erratically is not paying attention and may be under the influence
• Be alert for incorrect signal lights on the car you are following.
• Failure to follow clear road signs like entering one-way streets the wrong way.
• Drivers who do not dim their lights are a hazard even if they are behind you.
• No headlights on at night or turn signals when turning.
• Be very careful when driving around known bar areas. This is where the DUI’s start their journey in a lot of cases.

5 simple steps to he help you get great photo's of your valuables

6 simple steps to help you get great photographs of your valuables.

Having good photos of your valuables is vital should you be unfortunate to be robbed or loose them in a fire. Use these steps to get these pictures.

1) Focus your camera. If you do not do this correctly your images will not be sharp. Digital cameras with auto focus are often difficult to focus precisely, especially when shooting small objects. Read your owner's manual and be sure you understand how your camera's auto focus operates. Most digital cameras are designed to easily focus on large objects but have difficulty on small subjects. Test this with some shots and see how they look. If you have to borrow a better quality camera to get a good shot it will be worth it.


2) Use a tripod if you have one. If not try and improvise with a pile of books or put the camera on another solid object. A beanbag works well as it is easily adjustable. Even the slightest movement when you are taking a picture will cause a photograph to blur. The closer you get to an object the more obvious the blur becomes. Do not use a photograph that is out of focus or blurred, as it will not show the details you need other people to see.

3) Use soft lighting. Your camera's built-in flash will rarely give good results for product photography. You can check for a “soft light” by holding your hand out flat under the light source and holding out your finger about 2 inches above your palm. A soft light will not make a definite shadow. If you have a definite shadow outline of your finger then you have a “hard light”. For soft lighting either shoot outside on an overcast day or use a soft light box.

A soft-light box is easily made using some thin white sheet fabric or tissue paper in large sheets. Hang it on a frame on both sides and rear of the object to be photographed. Put the sheet at least 12 -18 inches away from the object. Place regular desk lights on both sides (outside) of the “light box”, also far enough away so you do no burn the fabric or paper with the lights. They generate a lot of heat and can start a fire if they are set up to close. .

When you turn on the lights you will have a nice soft even light. You will need to have high wattage light bulbs to do this, 150 watts would work. Play around with it till you have nice, even lighting on the picture. This is very easy with a digital camera as you can see the results instantly and make the needed corrections.

4) Use computer-imaging software if you have it. Even inexpensive imaging software on you computer can make product photography much easier. It may seem like it's faster to use an image exactly as it was shot. But in reality, it is difficult to shoot an image exactly how you would like it to appear in its final form. Imaging software allows you to crop an image (cut it to remove unwanted elements), resize it, adjust the exposure, and even sharpen the image very quickly.

5) Avoiding dark images when shooting against light backgrounds. Cameras tend to underexpose (not enough light) images when capturing subjects with white or very light backgrounds. The easiest way to prevent dark, underexposed images is to use exposure compensation. Most digital cameras have fairly easy-to-access exposure compensation controls (labeled as "EV" for Exposure Value). Again take some shots and look at the results. You will be able to easily see the improvements.

If your images are too dark, try adjusting the exposure compensation. A setting of +1 is a good place to start. If you end up setting the EV too high, the image will appear washed out or very faint. Simply go back a step or two until the exposure looks OK. You can also experiment with your light box and add a different color underneath and behind the object, leaving the sides white.

6) Keep the background plain. Keep it plain and simple so your object stands out and the details do not blend into an unwanted background

Following these 6 simple steps will get you an acceptable photograph of your valuables that can be used for identification purposes for the police and insurance companies should you ever need it

About the author.

Tony Skerritt is the presdient of CTW Inc, the owner of the http://www.officialstolenlost.com web site. This site is a data base for people to list their stolen and lost property.
The company founders have done red carpet security for celebrity events, movie premiers, large concerts, general event security & personal celebrity security. We have extensive experience with private investigations with the legal profession. Personal and home

We help you find and recover your stolen or lost valuables. : Official Stolen Lost Database

Travel safety tips

Travel safety and security tips

Your personal security when traveling is important but should not get in the way of your trip or vacation and more importantly your enjoyment. Knowledge is power here as you can then just do the things naturally to ensure that you and your possessions are safe and secure.

Many security companies and people thrive on creating a dangerous environment. By this I mean that they promote the dangers rather than the simple positive things you can do to protect yourself and be able to confidently put the security issues in the background. After all we travel and vacation for relaxation and enjoyment and having attention tied up in how dangerous it may all be defeats the purpose of going in the first place.

So do what you need to be safe and be confident in your actions. Some helpful hints that you can put to use are;

1. Use your credit card when you travel. A lot of the card companies protect you and your purchases when your use their card. If you should have the card lost or stolen then a phone call will cancel the card and get another one sent to you immediately. Talk to your card company before you travel and find out how to deal with this situation and how fast they can get you a new card. Also paying for all or as much of your trip before you leave will prevent you from being stranded somewhere or not having a hotel to stay at. The less you have to pay for once on the “road” the easier it will be in an emergency.
A little knowledge here will save you a heap of worry and upset, not to mention being stuck somewhere with no money. It is a good idea to stash a couple of day’s funds somewhere so you have it until a replacement card arrives. Do not keep this in the same place as your credit card. No money at all is very unpleasant in a foreign land or anywhere else for that matter.

2. Do not carry more documents and personal information around with you than you actually need. For example you are probably never going to need your birth certificate when you travel. Take only two credit cards with you and keep only one on you at any one time. Most hotels have security safes where you can lock up the things you do not need to be carrying around with you. You should not need more than one credit card, a passport and a driver’s license if you are going to be driving. Leave the rest at home or locked up in your hotel.
A good plan is to make Xerox copies of all your valuable travel documents including your passport. If you are unfortunate enough to have it stolen then you have an actual copy and this will be a huge help in getting a replacement and will act as ID in an emergency. Carrying your valuables in a fanny pack round your waste just labels you as a tourist and tells people where your valuables are. Keep them in inside pockets or button down pockets where they can’t be easily picked.

3. Do not give out personal information over the phone when traveling, particularly in countries with older phone systems that can still be used for eves dropping. If you have to send things like social security numbers ask if you can fax it to them or better still ask if they have a secure web site where you can enter the information. Look for the little padlock symbol on the page that will show you it is encrypted and secure.

4. Make sure trusted friends and/or relatives know your itinerary. Should the worst happen at least someone will have the knowledge of where you were and what you were doing. This may save the police days of work should an emergency arise.

5. If you are carrying a computer with you make sure you have all your passwords set so it is secure even if it does get stolen. Use a password with a combination of letters and numbers that are not related to you in any way. Do not use your initials and the year of your birth for example. The longer it is the less chance someone is going to break it. Make sure you have it well memorized before you set it or you will also be locked out and that is guaranteed to ruin your trip before you even start.

6. When you are going through the airport security screening watch what is happening at the other end of the x-ray machine. Make sure there is no unauthorized people hanging around, tying their shoe laces etc just waiting for your computer or other baggage to come through ahead of you while you are trying to get your body through the system. A thief can grab your computer or bag and be gone without you even realizing it. Use your eyes here and know what is happening around you.

7. Learn to use the Internet. There is a lot of great information here that can help you and a lot that can hurt you. If it does not sound right then it probably isn’t. Trust your gut on stuff. You will be right a lot more than your will be wrong. When filling out forms for travel and purchases or what ever, only fill in the minimal ammount of information. The less you have to send the better. In reality there is not much that you really have to disclose your social security number for. If a form asks for your social security number ask why it is needed and if it is not vital then do not enter it.

Remember that your social security number is the mother load to a thief. Once he has that and your name, your life is an open book for him. Your identity has been stolen and you have heard the horror stories on this disaster. Use only trustworthy companies to purchase from on the Internet. Ones you know are safest. If you are not sure of a company you can check their site and see which other companies advertise there. An unknown company site that runs ads for a well-known bank or software company, for example, will in all likelihood be quite Ok to deal with.

8. Above all this, EDUCATE YOURSELF. Remember I said above that knowledge is power. Go online and search for identity theft data (try www.idtheftcenter.org ) or search for personal security, travel security etc and educate yourself. http://www.urgentpassport.com/ will help you replace a lost or stolen passport very fast. Also do not forget to report a lost or stolen passport to your countries embassy if you are overseas.
You can post the missing passport or other lost or stolen items on www.officialstolenlost.com. Should it be found this may help you get it back.

Do not buy into the media hype where they continually paint a gloomy picture of the security situation. However a touch of reality here, if your identity is stolen it has been reported that you will probably spend over 100 hours and a minimum of 6 months handling it and even then your credit report will still have derogatory information on it that will take years to remove.

Our roads kill and hurt more people a year than any bad security situations, home or overseas. Just learn how to handle it and it will become second nature to you and not ruin your trip.

Go to the official stolen or lost web site to list you stolen or lost property.

What is the Official stolen lost web site?

What is the Official Stolen lost web site?

The following is an interview with Tony Skerritt, owner and developer of the Official stolen lost web site. The interview has been edited somewhat to remove the general chit chat and keep it to a manageable length.

Hello Tony, Thanks for spending a few minutes with us. Give me a brief overview of your background and how this site came about. What are the factors that inspired you to do this.

Over the years we have worked in many areas of security. The company founders have done red carpet security for celebrity events like movie premiers, large concerts, general event security, personal celebrity security. We also installed security systems and have worked with the legal profession doing investigations with private investigators. We have a broad range of experience in the area. The web site at http://www.officialstolenlost.com (osldb.com) is an offshoot of this.

The countries crime stats are appalling at best even if they are falling in some areas. The government has no effective program for rehabilitating criminals so the great majority do their time and go back out and re-offend. The brunt of all this is borne by Joe citizen who has to pay the costs of replacement if things are stolen of insurance so he can recover his costs from someone else. However it works he has to pay.

The web site is there to provide a tool for Joe to post his stolen or lost property and just as important it is there for a person buying used items like off e-bay or out of the penny saver. They can now go and check if the item is listed and there is the chance that the item will be listed if it is stolen or lost. The finder and the victim can get together privately and the item can be returned. The site is still new so we a working very hard to get the word out so it gets into use.

2. So, a person has an item stolen, they have the photos and a good description of it, they sign up and put all the data on your web site and then what? What are the chances really that someone will find it?

I really can’t answer that. As the site gets promoted more and more and it gets in general use then I see the chances rising considerably. Right now the chances are about zero if just left with the police. So if it goes up to 5% then at least you have some chance.

3. Someone who is buying, say a used car, checks the site to see if it is listed and finds it there. What should they do and how would they do it?

This is important. The first thing you need to realize is that you may be dealing directly with a thief trying to sell your TV. You may be dealing with someone who bought the item from a thief and really has no idea that it is stolen. If an item comes up as stolen then call the police and report it. Fill out the pop-up screen on the web site which comes up as soon as there is a match. Put all the data you can in this and then hit send. This will notify the owner that their items have been located and they can then take over and work with the police to recover the them.

I must emphasize that you do not approach the seller and tell him it is stolen or that he is breaking the law or what ever. Take a simple approach like, I would like to talk to my spouse about this before I buy it or let me think it over and quietly get away and call the police and let them handle it. Getting or remembering the persons name would help the police a lot but a good description will do if you do not have the name. Be safe here.

4.You have a very interesting and useful web site. What can I tell others about it?

The purpose of the site is to give the victims of theft and lost property a place where they can do something about their own unfortunate situation. Anyone feels very helpless and violated when they have been victims of theft, particularly when they have had their home broken into and robbed. I have been there and know the feeling. It is not a pleasant experience. This site gives the person a tool they can use on their own; it helps them get to be a little more causative over the situation. They can now be more cause rather than just be stuck in the effect of the theft or loss. Anything one can do eases the pain. Just sitting in the middle of the loss just hurts.

5. Who is able to use the site and how do they go about it?

The site is available to anyone who wants to use it. It is very simple and does not require any more than very basic computer skills. If you can type and search you can use it. The cool thing about it is that you can also put photographs of the item on the site. This makes it much easier for a person finding the item to be able to identify it.

This brings up an important point. You should have photographs of all your valuable items from your car to your earrings, TV, tools, removable kitchen equipment etc. You should have the make, model, type, serial numbers, color and unique markings recorded for all your valuables. If you get your jewelry stolen for example, giving the police a description of small diamond ear rings in a simple gold setting about 1 ½ inches long is going to be of very limited value to them should they find a set of stolen ear rings. A full description and a photograph will remove all doubt as to who the owner is should they be found.

Actually on the web site anyone can down load a free how to report on photographing their valuables. It is very simple and tells them how they can get a photograph that will be useful rather than just a snapshot that is taken from to far away or done in poor light.

6. As you know a lot of stolen things like cars, artwork etc, get sent out of the country. How can your site help these people?

The first thing you need to do is file the police report immediately. As you know the police are severely over worked and hunting for your lost jewelry is probably not going to be high on their to-do list when they come to work. I am not being critical of the police at all. They do an amazing job but they are only human and they’re severely overworked just keeping up with the day to day flaps.

The report is the official record of the theft and contains all the relevant information should the items show up at a later date. Go to the Official Stolen Lost site and enter all the data and photographs so there is also a complete description there. Now you have it on the web for all to see, not just the police. You have done far more to get it back than the police will actively do. After all where would the police even start looking for your jewelry? People are buying used jewelry all the time so anyone about to buy some should check the site to see if their purchase is stolen.

The more people use this site the more valuable it will become as the chances of the thief getting caught have just skyrocketed. Now it is not just the police who have all the info on the stolen goods they are trying to sell, it will get to be every buyer of second hand goods. It is like a huge neighborhood watch, everybody is checking to see if the goods are stolen before they buy them.

7. What happens if a search brings up stolen goods, say in Canada or Mexico? How will the owner know about this and what can he do about it to get his property back?

If your listed item comes up in a search anywhere the finder will get an automatic popup form to fill out with the basic details of when, where, who, date etc and this will be sent automatically to you. Once you get this notify your local police and they will advise you on how to handle it. If you know where the item is then you can contact the local police there and get their help.

8.So what chance do you think a person really has of getting his stolen property back, even if it is on your site? Why not just leave it to the police to find it for them?

The chances of getting stolen property back are slim at best. As I said earlier the police are overloaded and thefts generally are low on the list compared to the other things that come across their desk on an hourly basis. This site gives the victim a tool to use themselves. He more that people use this site and it becomes an automatic tool for theft and loss victims the better it will be and the chances of getting your items back will rise dramatically, though it will never be a certain recovery.

9. How long does a person’s data stay available to the public? Can they take it off if the item is found or can they add other data should they recall some details later on?

The data will stay on the site for 3 years. If they want to extend it will be possible. They can edit the data as they want and even take the data off themselves. They have complete control over their data on the site.

10.What else does the site do? Is it just data storage or does it have other features and benefits?

One other cool thing on the site, apart from a bunch of free reports, is membership site where a person can list all their valuables with all the serial numbers, descriptions, photos etc. It would be a complete inventory of all their valuable possessions. Though this part of the site is very secure and password protected from prying eyes, the data would be available should anything matching show up in a search. The police and insurance companies tell people to keep an inventory of their valuables and keep it in a safe place so they have the record should something get stolen. This makes it very easy. No trips to the bank vault or family to retrieve your list and it is already on the site should something be stolen, you will not have to go and re-enter all the data. As you buy new things you can just enter the data and it is recorded and secure, takes 2 minutes for peace of mind.

11. What do the police think of this web site and do they use it?

The site is still fairly new but the conversations I have had with law enforcement have all be very positive on this. They like the idea of a place where people can do something for themselves to help find their stuff. We plan to formally approach the police with this in the very near future. A similar overseas site is a regular tool that the police routinely use to check any property they find. It needs to be used to be useful and we are very heavy into the promotion of the site right now to get it to the for front of peoples minds. It needs to be the go-to place for stolen and lost property. Once that happens then it will have achieved it’s goals.

Identity theft.

The most damaging of criminal acts

Mary Jones was a good friend and neighbor. She worked for her church as much as she could while being a good wife and mother to her 3 your kids. It was a Monday morning and she went out to pick up the mail as she did every day. This Monday there was a huge amount of junk mail, which she threw out. What she did not see mixed in with the junk was a bank statement.

Tuesday night the trash went out to the curb ready for pick up the next morning. She was doing the same things that all her neighbors did, nothing different. What she did not see was a shadowy figure (we will call him Joe) in the small hours of the morning working his way down the street, digging in trash bin after trash bin. A passerby would mistake Joe for a bum and not look twice, not even ask himself why a bum was in a nice area like this.

Joe stuffs bits and piece in his bag and moves on. . Next day he is sorting through his haul and discovers a bank statement belonging to Mary Jones. Gold mine, he has what he needs. Off he goes and takes the information from Mary’s statement and goes to work on his computer. He files a change of address for Mary and once that comes in he has control He now orders a credit card or as many credit cards as he possibly can. Once these start to arrive he is off shopping on Mary’s dime. Mary continues with her happy life with no idea that her world is about to come crashing down on her head and her families.

See, it is not only Mary who is affected here. Her Husband Bill is a successful business owner who employ’s 25 of their friends and has done so for the past 8 years. The credit scores on Mary's reports start to crash as the late notices come in on bills they did not even know they had. Mary and Bill’s credit reports are tied together, which is common with married couples. Now Bills score is taking a nosedive. Bill’s business runs on credit and has a good record over the years. However now a supplier rejects his credit request for new supplies. The business falters and eventually gets to a point where he is on a cash only operating basis. The business and family cash flow is not huge. It has given them a good life over the years but not made them rich. Bills business is not faltering and he now has to lay off several of his friends, as he can no longer get the operating capital he needs.

After 9 months of fighting the debts and trying to pay the bills it gets to a point of no return. They can’t keep going. The bills are out of control and the house is now at risk as the mortgage is 3 months behind. The bottomed out credit score will not even allow them to get an apartment. Mary has been on the phones to the banks, credit card companies and credit reporting agencies but nothing is resolving. A lawyer is out of the question. The money is gone. Their lives are in ruins. All because of a careless mistake and a criminal identity thief who could not care less. He has long since moved on and is working on many other Mary’s.

A scary hypothetical story but variations of this have been the lot of many identity theft victims. Have you ever had your identity stolen or even thought about it? It is one of he most damaging crimes out there. This is due to the fact that the criminals use it to steal money from you, under your name, and destroy your credit rating and good name everywhere they can before they finally discard the identity and move onto another victim.

The end result of this is hundreds, thousands maybe tens of thousands of unauthorized purchases dollars on your credit card that you now have to pay for. The fact that you can’t pay for it only increases the damage as now all the late payments go onto your credit report. The more of this that happens, the worse the end result. Many people have had their lives totally destroyed by an identity thief.

Ever tried to rent an apartment without a credit check. Ever tried to get another credit card, buy a car, buy a home, and do anything at all that involves using your credit. Good luck. You will find you have very few friends in the credit world when you have a low credit score and even less friends when your credit score is off the bottom due to 20 purchases that were made using your credit card with our your permission. Getting a bunch of 30-day late marks every month on your credit report is about as bad as it gets. Go try and rent a house or buy a car with a score like that.

Ok, now go any try and get it fixed. Call the credit bureaus and tell them your story and how it is not your fault and you have filed a police report and done all you know how to do and please will they correct the reports now and put yours back to like it was before. Believe me you will fly before they will do this for you.

It now becomes your problem totally and completely to handle this mess and you have no friends on the inside to help you. You now have no credit, can’t get credit and can’t do anything that requires a credit check, as you will come up looking like the criminal yourself. It does not matter that the mess was made be someone who stole your identity, it is on your report and all the talk and reasons why from your end will not recreate the financial trust you had before.

Scary stuff. This is a hypothetical situation but all to real.

The following advice is excerpted from the http://www.socialsecurity.gov site.

Identity thieves get your personal information by:

Stealing wallets, purses and your mail (bank and credit card statements,
pre-approved credit offers, telephone calling cards and tax information);

Stealing personal information you provide to an unsecured site on the Internet,

from business or personnel records at work and personal information in your home;

Sorting through trash for personal data;

Posing as someone who legitimately needs information about you, such as employers or landlords; or

Buying personal information from “inside” sources. For example, an identity thief may pay a store employee for information about you that appears on an application for goods, services or credit.

Show your card to your employer when you start a job so your records are correct. Then, put it in a safe place. DO NOT carry your card with you.

If you find out that someone is using your identity you can report it to the Federal Trade Commission at www.consumer.gov/idtheft

If you think someone is using your number for work purposes, you should contact Social Security. One way to find out whether someone is using your number in order to work is to check your Social Security Statement. The Statement lists earnings posted to your Social Security record. If you find an error on your Statement, contact Social Security right away.

What if I think someone is using my number and creating credit problems for me?

If someone used your Social Security number to get credit, Social Security cannot fix your credit record. To fix your credit record:

Call the creditors who approved the credit (follow up with a letter).

File a police report.

Contact the fraud department of the major credit bureaus. Ask:

To have a flag placed on your record, requiring creditors to contact you before approving additional credit using your name and number;

How long your account will be flagged and how you can extend the flag, if necessary; and

To have a statement added to your credit report—include your name, explain the problem and provide a telephone number where someone can call you.

Request a copy of your credit report from each major credit bureau and check to see if it contains any entries you do not know about. If you are denied credit, you may be entitled to a free copy of your report.

The major credit reporting agencies are:

www.equifax.com www.experian.com www.tuc.com

Contact Social Security in addition to using their website, you can call toll-free at 1-800-772-1213. If you are deaf or hard of hearing, you may call our TTY number, 1-800-325-0778. .

As a final note if you have stolen or lost valuables please click this link to place the data in a very secure web site and this will allow others to help you fnd them

A new web site has just been launched that will allow theft and loss victims to do something positive to help recover their property. This is a whole new way of looking at the theft problems as now a victim is able to do something on their own to help get their stuff back.

Tony Skerritt, the owner of the site said today, “the theft victim is completely helpless in a crime like this as there is little they can do apart from filing a police report. It is good to be able to offer something to help them. I had a brand new motorcycle stolen some years ago so I am familiar with the sense of violation and helplessness.”

Tony has since become and expert in home and personal security. He has worked on red carpet security for major movie releases, personal security for rock stars, concert security, and commercial security system installation. He has also worked with private investigators on multi million dollar legal cases and many other facets of legal investigations.

There are many FREE articles on the web site available to anyone who visits. These articles cover both home and personal issues including children travel, protecting your home, identity theft and others. There is also a great article on how to correctly photograph your valuables so you have a record of them should you ever loose them.