A FREE Monthly Newsletter From Your Friends At FRANKS & RECHENBERG, P.C.

Volume 3

Issue 13

March

2013

MARCH EVENTS DAYLIGHT SAVINGS MARCH 10 ST. PATRICK’S DAY MARCH 17 EASTER MARCH 31

David N. Rechenberg just settled a car crash case for $125,000.00! If you, a loved one or a friend are injured in a car crash,

call (847) 854-7700 to get David N. Rechenberg working on your case today!!

Tell a Friend about “TidBits for Today” We sincerely love sharing our monthly publication with all our good friends and clients who tell us how much they enjoy receiving our newsletter. Now you can give a FREE subscription to a close friend, family member, or co-worker simply by calling our office at (847) 854-7700 and giving Marlo or Meghan the person’s name and mailing address.

We will send them a welcome letter along with the first issue letting them know that you gave them a free subscription to our monthly “Tidbits for Today” publication. This is a wonderful idea to help your friends and loved ones enjoy the most out of life.

Jamaica Trip

Deb and Dave Rechenberg were taken out

to sea by Moon Star for a day of

snorkeling and adventure in Moon’s

homemade boat in Jamaica. Moon

speared a barracuda with his 20 year

old homemade spear gun after a free

dive of 60 feet. After a morning of

feeding fish, Moon took Deb and Dave

to Lover’s Cave for a photo op.

The next day’s adventure was in the

mountains for an off road trip for a

dune buggy ride.

Moon & His Boat Kiss in Lover’s Cave

Barracuda Deb & Dave’s Dune Buggy

Updating your resume

Companies now say up to 30 percent of

references that applicants show on resumes

are either wishful thinking or entirely

fake.

CareerBuilder recently surveyed 2,500

hiring managers and discovered that 30

percent regularly find references to be

false or misleading. They also say 80

percent of employers check references, often

before they call someone in for an

interview.

The most common mistake is listing someone

as a reference because they've got an

impressive title, even though they barely

know that person.

Interviewers want to talk to someone you

worked with every day.

Some new cars signal when tire is filled,

but self-inflating tires are coming

If you're in the market for a new car, you

may just be able to throw away your tire

gauge. Nissan is launching what it calls the

Easy Fill Tire Alert system, an intuitive

feature that handles everything about tire

pressure except for actually putting the air

in. It's built into the Altima, Sentra and

Quest.

The US Department of Transportation

recommends checking your tire pressure

(and that includes the spare tire) at least

once every month. Few drivers do it and

those who do aren't sure when to stop

airing. The new system gives you three

short honks when you've reached the proper

tire pressure.

Self-inflating tires are coming

Drivers often neglect properly inflating

their tires. It damages the rubber, delivers

poorer fuel mileage and poses a rollover

risk.

Goodyear aims to remedy that problem in

2011; the company announced that it was

working on a process called "Air

Maintenance Technology." It was tested on

passenger cars and is being tested on

commercial trucks in 2013.

The Hummer already has one version, but

no date has been set for offering self-

inflating tires on other new cars.

Know a friend who was arrested for DUI? Offer them great advice! Tell them to call David Franks at (847) 854-7700 NOW!

www.McHenryCountyDUILawyer.com Page 2

Long-term jobless are

starting to find work

The number of people out of work for

more than six months improved by about

1 percent in December.

This progress is a reversal from before

when long-term unemployment showed no

improvement when there was recovery

elsewhere in labor, says the Labor

Department.

Do you have a friend who was injured in a car crash, hurt at a construction site, or injured as a result of a defective product? Are they wondering how to hire a personal injury attorney, and what questions to ask?

Give that friend great advice. Ask them to order the FREE audio CD “How to Choose an Illinois Personal Injury Attorney” by calling (847) 854-7700.

You can also order one for yourself or one to hand out to family and friends. Page 3

New devices improve posture

Devices that attach to the back or legs promise to help people keep their posture by emitting a

vibration. Golfers like them, and office workers

are avoiding back strain by using them.

The LUMOback ($149) is worn against the lower

back and vibrates when the back isn't kept straight. At Forrester Research, they say the "Big Mother"

devices will soon be part of employer wellness

programs.

New 'Pay As You Earn' plan can cut student loan payments for some

The Department of Education has a new student loan repayment program that cuts payments to 10 percent of income and reduces the repayment period to 20 years. After that loan balances are forgiven. "Pay As You Earn" caps payments of Federal Direct Student Loans at 10 percent of income for eligible recent graduates, resulting in lower monthly payments. As many as 1.6 million borrowers may find relief through this program, according to a DOE press release. Some studies of the Pay As You Earn program predict it will benefit borrowers with high student loans and high incomes the most, including professional students and graduate students. Only Direct Student Loans funded by the U.S. Department of Education are eligible. Direct PLUS loans made to parents and consolidation loans that repay parent PLUS loans aren't. To qualify, you can't have had outstanding federal loans as of October 1, 2007, and you have to have received a new loan on or after October 1, 2011. That leaves many borrowers out. The DOE recently launched an online application that allows borrowers to compare their estimated monthly payments under different repayment plans and make an informed choice in their plan selection. It applies to those who have at least one Direct Loan or a Loan in the Federal Family Education Loan (FFEL) program. The DOE offers multiple repayment options. More than 1.3 million borrowers already use the Income-Based Repayment plan. It's still available and can be a pretty good deal. IBR borrowers who qualify, based on their income in relation to their loans, pay 15 percent of their discretionary income. That's the amount by which adjusted gross income exceeds the poverty line, considering family size. Under that program, the loan balance is forgiven after 25 years.

INJURED ON THE JOB? Need to get your bills PAID? Wondering how the new Worker’s Compensation Law will affect your case? Want to know what your case is worth? CALL David N. Rechenberg at (847) 854-7700 for answers to your

questions and so he can start working on your case! www.IllinoisWorkInjuryLawyer.com Page 4

In professional golf, will belly putters disappear by 2016?

"Anchored" putting, where the club is pivoted against a player's belly or chest, is set to be banned by 2016. In a joint statement, the Royal & Ancient (R&A) and the United States Golf Association (USGA) unveiled proposed changes to the sport's rules that would prevent players anchoring the club while making a putting stroke. The proposed rule would prohibit strokes made in such way, but they would not alter existing equipment regulations which allow for the use of so-called "belly" or "long-handled" putters. However, the R&A and the USGA said that prior to making a final decision they would "consider any further comments and suggestions from throughout the golf community.” Golf's regulators have outlawed nontraditional methods of putting before. Pushing, scraping and spooning the ball were outlawed in 1883. Using a putter like a pool cue was banned in 1895. Croquet-style putting, in which a player straddles the line of a putt, was outlawed in 1968, much to Sam Snead's dismay. Golf traditionalists have long argued that belly-putters, which do not allow a free swing, as is the case with all other golf shots, go against the fundamentals of the sport. "Throughout the 600-year history of golf, the essence of playing the game has been to grip the club with the hands and swing it freely at the ball," said USGA executive director Mike Davis in a joint statement issued with the R&A. "Our conclusion is that the Rules of Golf should be amended to preserve the traditional character of the golf swing by eliminating the growing practice of anchoring the club." Note that players with bad backs, and others, will still be able to use their long clubs. They just can't anchor them against their bodies. The rule applies only to USGA play. Amateurs can still use their long clubs and anchor them to their bodies.

National Agriculture Day is Tuesday, March 19

Give the farmers some love.

Today each one of them feeds 144 people. In

the 1960s each farmer fed 25 people. Precision

farming means that more food is grown on fewer

acres.

About 2 million people in the U.S. are in

farming or ranching and 4.6 million Americans

live on farms. An estimated 90 percent of the

farms are owned by individuals are family

corporations. About 22 million people work in

food production and processing industries.

ENJOY tea with honey and lemon. The tea hel

How about the meat group?

How to save your own life in 2013

The safe-driving message for this year

isn't new, but as the number of vehicles

on the roadway increases, it's more

important than ever:

Wear your seat belt; pay attention to

your driving, and never drink and drive!

Final figures aren't in yet for 2012,

but through November, preliminary data

from Advocates for Highway Auto Safety

show that the number of motor vehicle

deaths will indicate a significant

increase from 2011.

In that year, the number of deaths was

the lowest since 1949, including

motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The Governors Highway Safety

Association has been informally

reporting that the death number was up

throughout 2012.

Officials in the trucking industry say

that there is a connection between

states increasing speed limits and the

increase in deaths for occupants of

large trucks, according to a spokesman

for the American Trucking Association.

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood

says the 2011 decline was due to

aggressive enforcement and public

education campaigns plus the technology

involved in building safe vehicles.

He says, "As we look to the future, it

will be important to build on this

progress by continuing to tackle head-on

issues like seat belt use, drunk driving

and driver distraction."

ARRESTED FOR A CRIME? Don’t know where to turn? Help is just a phone call away! Call David B. Franks at 847.854.7700!

Page 5

Cities are creating outdoor gyms called fitness parks

Free outdoor gyms are sprouting up across the

country. They're open 24 hours a day and have

traditional fitness equipment like elliptical machines,

leg press and sit-up benches, and more sophisticated

equipment. They are appearing in city parks, often in

neighborhoods that may not have access to healthful

options.

Florida has 17 open-air gyms; Los Angeles County has

41. They do tend to be in warmer-weather cities, but

are also being installed in Newark, Denver and

Minneapolis.

Leading the effort is The Trust for Public Land, a non-

profit land conservation group that created its

Fitness Zones program about three years ago to help

cities fund outdoor health playgrounds.

SPEEDING TICKETS OR OTHER MOVING VIOLATIONS? YOU NEED DAVID B. FRANKS ON YOUR SIDE!

www.IllinoisTrafficTicketDefenseCenter.com Page 6

The guest bathroom requires some thought

It's a party. The home is lovely and the guests' half bath features a wall-and-a -half that's beautifully painted with tropical vines and flowers. There's fancy soap, hand lotion and a small but lovely sculpture on the marble counter. As the 15 or 20 guests intermittently migrate in and out of the half bath, you decide it's your turn. The room competes with the rest of the house for beauty, including the embroidered towels. There are two. Each is either damp or wet from previous hand washings, and you can't help but feel uncomfortable about wiping your hands where many others have already wiped theirs. It's not an uncommon situation even in upscale homes. The solution is to provide a stack of high-quality paper towels for those who want to use them and a handy disposal basket. For extra class, you can buy monogrammed towels. Other matters that bring success to your party include soft lighting in the half bath, which makes guests feel attractive as they enjoy a respite from the festivities. One decorator offers a chair and a book of (very short) poems.

This mouse doubles

as a scanner

Brookstone's Scanner Mouse puts

a scanner in the palm of your

hand. It can make instant digital

copies of documents, photos,

artwork, articles, maps, receipts

and more.

Scanner Mouse lets you point,

scroll and click just like a

regular mouse, but it has a space-

saving scanner built right in. All

you do is click the Smart Scan

button, swipe Scanner Mouse over

your document in any pattern, and

watch the image assemble itself.

It can also scan and produce text

files. $80 - $100.

Mission Statement

It the mission of Franks & Rechenberg, P.C. to continuously earn our reputation as a pre-eminent

local law firm by always providing our clients with responsive, zealous, cost-effective and highly

competent legal service and representation, in a professional, courteous and respectful manner.

www.FnRLaw.com

Involved in an automobile accident and the Insurance Adjuster is asking to take your recorded statement and requesting you to sign an authorization? Find out what to do by

ordering our free Audio CD and learn the 7 questions you must ask the Claims Adjuster when he calls demanding answers from you! Call (847) 854-7700 to get your free CD today.

Page 7

Skillet lasagna is

delicious, nutritious, fast!

Luscious lasagna is a perennial

favorite for family dinners and holiday

get-togethers.

Most classic recipes call for extensive

preparation and baking. That just

doesn't cut it for an after-work family

dinner.

But here is an easy take on classic

lasagna. This recipe is made in a

skillet and takes half an hour from

start to finish.

Hunt's 'Classic

Skillet Lasagna'

8 ounces dry bow tie pasta, uncooked

1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

2 tablespoons water

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 ounces Italian pork sausage

1/3 cup chopped yellow onion

2 cans Hunt's Diced Tomatoes with

Basil, Garlic and Oregano (14.5

ounce, undrained)

1 can of tomato paste, 6 ounce

1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim

mozzarella cheese, divided

Cook pasta according to

package directions, omitting salt.

Meanwhile, combine ricotta cheese,

water and pepper in small bowl; set

aside.

Heat a large skillet over

medium-high heat. Add sausage and

onion; cook 3 to 5 minutes or until

sausage is crumbled and onion is

tender, stirring occasionally. Drain.

Add undrained tomatoes, tomato

paste, 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese and

cooked pasta to skillet. Stir to

combine.

Drop spoonfuls of ricotta

mixture on top of pasta mixture.

Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella

cheese. Reduce heat to low; cover and

cook 2 to 3 minutes or until ricotta

mixture is hot and mozzarella cheese

melts.

Serves six.

Congratulations To Our Client Of The Month!

Every month, we choose a very SPECIAL client.

It’s our way of acknowledging our great clients and saying thanks to those who support our firm by telling others about us.

This month’s Client of the Month is Phil Jenks. We’re treating Phil and his wife to popcorn and the movies! Enjoy the show.

Everyone wants to be a movie star!

How would you like to be featured on our website?

We invite our clients to make a video testimonial to be used on our website. This is your chance to be famous, or at least use up one or two minutes of your fifteen minutes of fame. It is your chance to ham it up in front of the camera, if you like. It will only take a few minutes of your time. Call the office to schedule a convenient time to shoot your video, and be a star!

TidBits for Today…! Is a FREE monthly newsletter from your friends at FRANKS & RECHENBERG, P.C. Attorneys at Law 1301 Pyott Road, Suite 200 Lake in the Hills, Illinois 60156 (847) 854- 7700 www.FnRlaw.com, www.TheIllinoisPersonalInjuryLawyer.com www.McHenryCountyDUILawyer.com www.FnRlaw.com Fax: (847) 854-7700

What’s Inside?

1. Jamaica Trip...…………………………...…………………..….. (Pg 1) 2. Self-Inflating Tires…………………..………………………….. (Pg 2) 3. Pay As You Earn Plan……..………………….……………….. (Pg 3) 4. Golf News…………..…………….…………..………………….. (Pg 4) 5. How to Save Your Own Life..………………………………… (Pg 5) 6. Computer Mouse/Scanner in One...………………………… (Pg 6) 7. Skillet Lasagna Recipe………………………..…..…………… (Pg 7) 7. Client of the Month! ………………………………………....… (Pg 7) The Answers To These And Many Other

Questions Are Inside The March 2013 Issue!

Do you have a smart phone? Add

Franks & Rechenberg, P.C. to your contacts using

your bar code scanner application!