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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 3.5 million housing units in the U.S. are for seasonal, recreational or occasional use–from big summer estates and time-share condos to A-frame structures and simple fishing cabins.

“That means these homes are unoccupied a good portion of the year,” says homeowner’s insurance expert Charles Valinotti, senior vice president, QBE Regional. He offers tips on how you can minimize property loss and damage for your home away from home:

• Snuff out fire hazards–Valinotti says he’s seen several large losses as a result of portable fire pits, where ashes can smolder long after a homeowner has locked up and left. Before you vacate your vacation home, make sure coals are completely extinguished. Consider signing on with a central-station alarm company that provides services to monitor burglar and fire alarm systems.

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Insurance Claims. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 3.5 million housing units in the U.S. are for seasonal, recreational or occasional use–from big summer estates and time-share condos to A-frame structures and simple fishing cabins.

“That means these homes are unoccupied a good portion of the year,” says insurance claims expert Charles Valinotti, senior vice president, QBE Regional. He offers tips on how you can minimize property loss and damage for your home away from home:

• Team up with your neighbors–If there are other seasonal homes in your area, get to know the owners and exchange phone numbers. Keeping an eye on each other’s property is a good way to quickly learn about wind and hail damage–and take care of it before it gets worse. If a full-time resident isn’t nearby, consider hiring someone to periodically patrol your residence.

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electronic evidence recovery expert witness Steven G. Burgess writes on: The Case for Electronic Discovery:

Saving a File

When a document is named, it is saved. It may be saved with a name such as “Untitled” even if not given a unique name by the author. When the file is saved, there are several attributes saved with it. One is the date the file was created; one is the date the file was last changed, or modified; one is the date the file was last accessed. This information is kept as part of a file listing called a “directory.” This file listing is viewed as a “folder” by the computer user. The computer saves a long version and a short version of the name as two adjacent directory listings as well.

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Tile expert witnesses at Ceramic Tile and Stone Consultants offer links to these resources on their website:

Industry Associations Ceramic Tile Distributors Importers Installers Manufacturers Cleaners and Sealers Computer Services Construction Defect Attorneys

Economic Forecast Economic Indicators Floor Warming Systems Industry Statistics Ceramic Tile

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Process service expert witnesses may opine regarding the process server’s work product. The National Association of Professional Process Servers writes on unsworn declarations and affidavits of service:

Unsworn Declarations Made Under Penalty of Perjury An Unsworn Declaration made under Penalty of Perjury is a written or printed recitation by the process server of the facts and circumstances surrounding the delivery of legal process to a particular person or entity consistent with applicable state or federal court rule or law. The declaration is to be signed only by the person making the statement.

Affidavits of Service An “affidavit” is a written or printed declaration or statement of facts made voluntarily, confirmed by the oath or affirmation of the party making it, and taken before an officer having the authority to administer such oath. An “affidavit of service” is intended to certify the service of a writ, notice or other legal document.

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Marketing expert Rosalie Hamilton offers this article on her website: Keeping Your Small Business Going After Surgery, by Dr. Jean Murray.

I wanted to tell you about my experience and give you some suggestions for getting through with your health and your business intact.

1. Plan and work ahead. This sounds obvious, but it takes some doing. For my freelance writing, I write content that includes a blog and articles every week. I worked hard before surgery to get ahead at least 5 days, so I didn’t have to worry about writing from my hospital bed. With other writing jobs, I anticipated what had to be done and did as much as I could beforehand. Sure, it made double work in some cases, but it helped a lot not to have to worry about things not getting done.

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Physics expert witness Louis A. Bloomfield, Professor of Physics at the University of Virginia, answers the question “How do anti-lock brake systems work?”

If you brake your car too rapidly, the force of static friction between the wheels and the ground will become so large that it will exceed its limit and the wheels will begin to skid across the ground. Once skidding occurs, the stopping force becomes sliding friction instead of static friction. The sliding friction force is generally weaker than the maximum static friction force, so the stopping rate drops. But more importantly, you lose steering when the wheels skid. An anti-lock braking system senses when the wheels suddenly stop turning during braking and briefly release the brakes. The wheel can then turn again and static friction can reappear between the wheel and the ground.

For more, see howeverythingworks.com.

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Pesticides expert witness Allan Snyder; ACGIH, AIHA, SPCI, writes that there are more than 2,500 different types of termites in the world with the most common species being Drywood, Dampwood and Subterranean. Dampwood Termites:

They live and breed in soil, sometimes many feet deep.

Subterranean termites require moist environments.

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Diesel engine experts at TractorData.com write on tractor fuel types:

Diesel Fuel Diesel fuel first started appearing in large agricultural crawlers in the 1930s, but it was not until the 1950s that diesel became a major fuel source for farm tractors. Difficult starting limited the use of early diesel engines. Some manufacturers built spark-ignition diesel engines, or engines that started on gasoline and were switched over to diesel. Others used small gasoline “pony motors” to warm and start the diesel main engine.

By 1960, diesel engines had greatly improved and were becoming very popular for large farm tractors. By the 1970s, nearly all farm tractors used diesel engines.

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In Mold, Housing and Wood, wood products experts at the Western Wood Products Association write:

Why is there concern about mold in homes?

Mold growth in homes has not necessarily increased in recent years, but new court cases involving mold, sensationalistic media coverage and publication of questionable scientific research have increased public awareness of the issue.

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