Overton window

Overview

At any given moment, the “window” includes a range of policies considered to be politically acceptable in the current climate of public opinion, which a politician can recommend without being considered too “extreme” or outside the mainstream to gain or keep public office. Overton arranged the spectrum on a vertical axis of “more free” and “less free” in regards to government intervention. When the window moves or expands, ideas can accordingly become more or less politically acceptable. The degrees of acceptance of public ideas can be described roughly as:

• Unthinkable Radical Acceptable Sensible Popular Policy

The Overton Window is a means of visualizing which ideas define that range of acceptance by where they fall in it. Proponents of policies outside the window seek to persuade or educate the public so that the window either “moves” or expands to encompass them. Opponents of current policies, or similar ones currently within the window, likewise seek to convince people that these should be considered unacceptable.

Other formulations of the process created after Overton's death add the concept of moving the window, such as deliberately promoting ideas even less acceptable than the previous "outer fringe" ideas, with the intention of making the current fringe ideas acceptable by comparison (This might be a form of the “Door-in-the-face technique" of persuasion.)

Overton's rule is over!

It is the 1980s. Ernst Overton at the University of Zurich (Switzerland) declares that those substances that dissolve in lipids pass more easily into a cell than those that dissolve in water. He then diligently applies himself to the development of an equation that would allow the calculation of the time required by the substance to permeate through the cell barrier. Based on the lipophilicity (ability of a compound to dissolve in fats, oils and nonpolar solvents) of the substance he also goes as far as defining a parameter K, whose value dictates the speed of diffusion; that is, the higher the value of K, the faster the permeation rate. So far, so good. For over a century, scientists of a variety of disciplines have adhered to Overton's rule and used his equation to shape their studies.

Unfortunately, Overton was wrong, very wrong. It is 2008 and a team of researchers at Warwick University (UK) have now proved that exactly the opposite phenomenon occurs: studying the diffusion of a variety of acids through the cell membrane it is the most lipophilic compounds that are transported slowest. In fact, their research suggests that the real transport rates could be up to a hundred times slower that predicted by Overton's rule.

So how is it possible that Overton got it so wrong and that the rule has remained unchallenged for more than 100 years? It is worse than that. "The important point is really how other researchers have confirmed Overton's rule many times in the past two to three decades," Professor Patrick Unwin, lead researcher of the scientific team, says. He blames the technology: "Techniques in recent years have employed rather inefficient and fairly ill-defined mass transport to move molecules up to the membrane, which makes it difficult to accurately measure fast membrane transport with confidence." Additionally, measuring the rate of transport of compounds across a membrane is very challenging "because, at the simplest level, there are two processes in series — diffusion to and from the membrane and transport across it — and the slowest step is what is measured."

The technology developed by the scientific team at Warwick University allowed them to observe every step of the diffusion process and investigate up close what really happens at the cell boundary. "We use piezoelectric positioners, similar to those used in our other recent work with ultramicroelectrodes, except that by coupling electrochemistry and confocal microscopy, we can also visualise the electrode position with high accuracy. The electrode can thus be placed at a precise, quantifiable distance from the membrane without touching it."

The research team are excited with their discovery and are looking to use this technique to examine the diffusion of other compounds into the membrane cells. "We can tackle any process," says Unwin "where we can detect an ion or molecule by fluorescence, which opens up a wide range of possibilities." Other techniques will also be explored: "in addition to the solid electrodes used in this study, we can also use micro- and nanopipettes to deliver reagents locally in a controlled manner via an applied current or potential."

For the scientific community in general the implications of this finding are huge: "Text books will have to be rewritten," says Unwin. For drug developers in particular, this discovery is of paramount importance for the development and testing of drugs. "Drug companies may want to review whether an initial screen of candidate drug efficacy based the measurement of partition coefficient is necessarily a good indicator of permeation. There may be candidates that make it through initial screening, despite actually having poor membrane transport properties and, conversely, candidates with good transport dynamics that are rejected on the basis of partitioning alone. Our methodology could also readily be developed to look at protein and ion channel activity in model membranes and living cells."

Jeff Overton's consistent year has him climbing the US Ryder Cup chart

AKRON, Ohio — Even avid golf fans might be surprised to see who is No. 4 in the U.S. Ryder Cup team rankings this week.

Tiger Woods? Nope. He's ninth. Stewart Cink? He's at No. 13.

Try Jeff Overton, hardly the name that comes to mind when you consider the best American players in 2010.

"It's not like I'm Tiger Woods," he said. "Maybe if we could ever win instead of finish second, maybe we'd have a little better chance of (being known)."

Overton is listed so high among U.S. golfers for the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor because he's played consistently well all year. He's had three seconds and two thirds, barely missing out on his first career win several times.

On Sunday at the Greenbrier Classic, it took Stewart Appleby's stirring 59 in the final round to beat him. The 27-year-old Indiana University graduate also was runner-up at the Zurich Classic and the Byron Nelson.

"This year I've been able to get inside the top three a lot, but I haven't been able to get that win," he said Wednesday, the day before the start of the Bridgestone Invitational. "Hopefully, I'll be able to keep plugging along.

"Like (former British Open champion) Ian Baker-Finch said, 'You keep knocking on the door enough times, eventually something is going to happen.' "

Overton's scoring average is 69.81, third-best on the PGA Tour. He is 12th on the money list with more than US$2.4 million. He's up to No. 47 in the world rankings after starting the year at No. 186.

A native of Indiana, he is the son of a former baseball player and quarterback at Indiana State. He said he gets his competitive fire from his dad.

He also dates an opera singer.

Asked where they met, he laughed and said, "Bloomington, Ind., the No. 1 opera school in America."

Overton said he knows about as much about opera as his girlfriend knows about golf.

For instance, his girlfriend's mother came out to see him play once. He made a bogey and she said, "What did he do? He made a bogus?"

So far this year, he's been anything but bogus when climbing those Ryder Cup charts.

"(Making the team) would be half the goal, and then the next half of the goal would be to figure out a way to go win the USA some points," he said.

That was perhaps the case for Justin Rose for his first decade as a professional. In six full years (and parts of four or five others), he never won on American soil. Second-place finishes at the Texas Open in '06, Bridgestone in '07 and Memorial in '08 not only whetted his appetite for winning, but also increased questions about why he wasn't winning.

Rose turned 30 last week but he's been celebrating all year in the U.S.

Wins at the Memorial and AT&T National have pushed him up the charts in the world rankings. He was 70th to start the year but is now 19th. After years of promise mixed with disappointment, he is considered a threat to win every tournament.

"I said before I started winning that my game was in great shape," he said Wednesday. "I didn't need to do anything different; I didn't need to work on anything.

"I guess it was the patience factor of just letting it happen."

Rose was born in South Africa and raised in England. He now has homes in London and Orlando, Fla.

Some athletes begin to press when they don't meet their own or others' expectations. The difference for Rose was letting go.

"The switch for me was ... just letting it come out on the golf course, just letting my game sort of go to the first tee, not getting in my own way," he said. "It's a very simple mindset to talk about, much harder to do."

___

59 FALLOUT: It's difficult for the typical once-a-week golfer to even contemplate how someone shoots a 59.

Stuart Appleby became the fifth player to shoot a 59 in a PGA Tour event when he won the Greenbrier Classic on Sunday by going 11-under over the last 18 holes.

Appleby, set to tee it off in Thursday's opening round of the Bridgestone Invitational, turned the front side in 6-under. The thought immediately came to him that if he maintained that he might just win the tournament.

"Then I eagled No. 12 and I thought, 'I'm on record pace,' " he said. "I thought there's nothing at the end of the round that's going to stand out to be a real test if I'm playing any good.

"There's no 500-yard, par-4s; there's birdie opportunities there. The course was very benign."

Still, he needed to continue to not just play well but to make birdies. As he traversed the back nine at the Old White, the word spread about what he had within his grasp. The pressure grew, because Appleby also knew.

"I thought, well, just got to keep hitting it close and see if I can make putts — and the putts just seemed to come to me," he said.

Always, his primary incentive was catching, then staying ahead of Jeff Overton.

"I sort of had two motivating forces," Appleby said. "One was to try and chase, and one was to also do something a bit unique."

WHO'S NO. 1? Tiger Woods has been No. 1 in the world golf rankings for the past 270 weeks. But he could fall from that perch this weekend at the Bridgestone Invitational.

If Woods wins, he stays No. 1. If second-ranked Phil Mickelson wins, he takes over the top spot. If third-ranked Lee Westwood wins, and Tiger finishes third or worse, he could be the world's top player.

Mickelson or Westwood could also take over No. 1 if they were to finish high and Woods were well back in the pack.

DIVOTS: The top 50 players in the world rankings are scheduled to play in the Bridgestone which has a purse of $8.5 million and pays $1.4 million to the winner. ... An older woman stood by the first tee Wednesday wearing a pink T-shirt that said, "You Thrill Me, Phil." ... Spectators who spend $75 on tournament merchandise receive a free ticket to Sunday's round. ... Appleby met his wife, Ashley, at a nearby restaurant 10 years ago during the Bridgestone. They've been married eight years.

Extended Stay Deluxe Suites Lake Buena Vista near Downtown Disney Area

Extended Stay Deluxe Suites is an all suites hotel located in Lake Buena Vista near Downtown Disney Resort Area. This exclusive property offers a complete range of amenities to meet the needs of leisure and business travelers.

The Extended Stay Deluxe Suites in Lake Buena Vista offers superior service and excellent amenities that you will not find in typical hotel room. Located in the Downtown Disney Area, this all suite hotel is just 3 miles from Walt Disney World, just minutes from dining, shopping and entertainment. It is the ideal choice for guests that prefer to make their own meals. It offers a convenient range of services like Complimentary continental breakfast daily, fully equipped kitchen, refrigerator, stovetop and microwave oven and dishwasher. Each suite offers superb comfort, fantastic service and friendly service. But best of all, you will find amenities that you won't find in a typical hotel room.

When staying at the this Lake Buena Vista all suite hotel you will enjoy:

• Complimentary continental breakfast daily
• All suites are studio style
• Kitchen with full size refrigerator, microwave, stovetop, toaster, coffee maker, dishes and utensils
• Automatic dishwasher in all suites
• Dining and cooking utensils provided
• In-room iron and ironing board
• Cable TV with premium channels
• Two phone lines
• Separate bath with hair dryer
• On-site guest laundry
• Fitness facility on-site
• Wireless high-speed Internet access (fees apply)
• Outdoor swimming pool and spa
• Same day dry cleaning service
• Excellent location! In Lake Buena Vista near Downtown Disney Area
• Is an Orlando Pet Friendly Hotel (fee applies)
• Complimentary incoming fax; Copy service and outgoing fax services are available for a small fee; Mail, faxes and packages delivered directly to guest rooms at the end of each business day.
• One "Full Housekeeping Service" is provided every third day and "Refresh Service" every other day. (Additional Full Service cleanings can be purchased at $10.00 per service)

Extended StayAmerica

Extended StayAmerica is an American hotel company. It was founded in 1995 in South Carolina as an extended-stay hotel, catering to businesspeople.

The first Extended StayAmerica hotels opened in 1995 by a number of founders including management from Blockbuster Video andAutoNation. In 1996, Extended Stay America acquired StudioPLUS, further continuing its growth. During this time, the company also acquired Crossland Economy Studios. The company also added various brands offering different levels of service, like Extended Stay Deluxe and StudioPLUS. By August 2001, the company was added to S&P 400.

Blackstone took Extended Stay America private in May 2004 to form a new company, Extended Stay Hotels. It paid close to $2 billion in cash as well as over $1 billion in debt. At the time, Extended Stay America had 425 hotels, but Blackstone added about 255 properties from other acquisitions including Homestead Village, which it agreed to buy for $600 million two months after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.^[1]

In 2007 Extended Stay Hotels was sold to the Lightstone Group for $8 billion. The sale was one of the biggest non casino hotel deals in history.

On June 16, 2009, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, citing $7.1 billion in assets and $7.6 billion in liabilities. The company intends to keep operating all its properties through bankruptcy by using its substantial cash flow rather than debtor-in-possession financing.

Extended Stay America Princeton / South Brunswick

1. Info & Amenities
2. What's Nearby
3. Services & Policies
4. City Guide

Welcome to Extended StayAmerica Princeton - South Brunswick. Our hotel is designed especially for longer stays with studios featuring fully-equipped kitchens and plenty of work space… amenities you won't find in a typical hotel room.

Kitchen with refrigerator, microwave, and stovetop

Dining and cooking utensils provided

Workspace with computer dataport

Free local phone calls

Personalized voice mail

Iron and full size ironing board

On-site guest laundry

Wireless Internet - one time fee of $4.99 per stay

Business Services Our front desk can assist you with mail delivery and fax and copy service should you need it.

Housekeeping Service One Full Housekeeping Service is provided for guests staying seven or more nights. Full Service includes dusting, vacuuming, changing linens and towels, emptying trash, cleaning of bathroom and kitchen, replenishing soap and toilet paper if needed and is performed once every seven days. Additional Full Service cleanings can be purchased at $10.00 per service. Towel exchange is available at the Front Desk for guests staying one to six nights. All guests can also purchase a Refresh Service at $5.00 per service. The Refresh Service includes replacing soiled towels, emptying trash, replenishing soap and toilet paper if needed, and making bed with existing linens. Dishes are not washed during either service. Please contact the hotel directly for additional information regarding our housekeeping services.

Check In / Check Out Check-in time for arriving guests begins at 3 p.m. Check-out time for departing guests is 11 a.m.

Cancellation Policy Must cancel reservation by 6pm local hotel time on day of arrival or the 1st night's stay, at the quoted rate plus tax, will be charged to the credit card holding the reservation.

Pet Policy One pet is allowed in each guest room. A $25 per day non-refundable cleaning fee (not to exceed $150) will be charged the first night of your stay. Weight, size and breed restrictions may apply. Please contact the hotel directly with inquiries.

Payment Policy It is the policy and practice of Extended StayAmerica to require payment in advance for guest rooms. At check-in, guests paying the nightly rate will be charged for their entire stay. Guests paying the weekly rate will be charged for the first week of their stay upon check-in. Children 17 years of age and under stay free with an adult in the same room.

Travel Agent Commission 10% commission is paid for up to the first 7 nights only. Commission is paid within 30 days of the date of room consumption. Contact the General Manager at the property for commission issues

Extended Stay backs new proposed offer: source

(Reuters) - U.S. hotels firm Extended Stay is favoring a new planned bid for it from investment companies Centerbridge Partners and Paulson & Co over a rival one on the table from a group led by Starwood Capital Group, a source familiar with the situation said on Sunday.

The Starwood-led group had agreed to invest up to $905 million in Extended Stay America ESAIN.UL as part of a reorganization proposal to bring the hotel chain out of bankruptcy protection.

The Centerbridge/Paulson bid is slightly better economically than the Starwood one, the source said, although the details of what made the bid superior were not clear.

The Wall Street Journal, which earlier reported the developments, said the Centerbridge/Paulson group had promised not to charge fees.

However, the situation could change again, as an auction will be held in May for the hotel chain, the source said.

It was not possible to leave a message at offices for Paulson or Extended Stay outside business hours. Centerbridge could not immediately be reached for comment. Starwood declined to comment.

Extended Stay was bought in June 2007 by an investor group led by David Lichtenstein's Lightstone Group. It was forced into bankruptcy last year after its projected cash flows declined amid the recession and it could not keep servicing more than $7 billion in debt.

In February, Centerbridge and Paulson & Co agreed to invest up to $450 million in the company once it exits Chapter 11.

However, Starwood Capital said in March it submitted a bid which exceeded that offer, and the hotel firm switched its support to that offer.

CA Extended Stay of America Hotel Houses Five Registered Sex Offenders

'Just Because It's Unlawful, Doesn't Make it Criminal' (Long Beach City Prosecutor Tom Reeves)

Is there a sex offender living in your neighborhood? If you live near the 'Extended Stay of America' Hotel in Huntington Beach, there are five at the same address. Actually, registered sex offenders clustering in one is best.
Registered Sex Offenders Clustering at Huntington Beach, CA 'Extended Stay of America Hotel' (5050 Skylab Road)

The Orange County Register pulls no punches when it outlines how the Huntington Beach police department went to great lengths to let visitors of the 'Extended Stay of America' Hotel know that five registered sex offenders are living on the premises.

Officials are quick to point out that the names, photos and address of the sex offenders are not to be used for harassment purposes.

The public should nevertheless use the information for personal protection. The offenses that landed these individuals on parole and in a clustered living situation are worrisome to the any parent and the general public. They include sexual battery, sexual activity including a child under 14, forcible rape, indecent exposure and molestation of a child.

Sex Offender Clustering is a Common Practice

In February of 2008, 15 registered sex offenders were found living at a residential Long Beach, Calif., address. In November of 2009, Bremerton residents were surprised to learn that eight sex offenders were living nearby, all on the same block.

The Kitsap Sun reports that enraged residents were told by local Washington officials that government does not have authority to determine how many registered sex offenders may live together.

In February of 2010, the Post Star reports on 14 sex offenders residing at a Warren County motel. It appears the motel is also used by Social Services as a short-term residential solution for homeless families - with children.

Austin DWI Attorney Tips and Info

A number of Austin DWI Attorney in Austin Texas is former prosecutors who have vast experiences. It is the advantage of experience whereby an Austin DWI Attorney will bring to the table in defending your DWI case.

In the capital of Austin Texas, the legislature meets every 2 years and the subject of Austin DWI comes up every session. Increasing the Driving License Suspensions for DWI convictions is a popular maneuver for legislators that want their stock or want to be known as Tough on Crime. The unfortunate thing about this increase in penalties will not probably decrease crime but rather increase.

An Austin DWI Attorney is what you will need when you are in trouble with Texas DWI.

Each year, states enact stronger DUI laws and more severe drunk driving penalties. Drunk driving is the act of operating and/or driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs to the degree that mental and motor skill is impaired. It is illegal in all jurisdictions within the U.S.

The legal presumption of intoxication from blood alcohol concentration was reduced to 0.10; more recently, and with federal pressure, all states get further reduced the limit to 0.08%. Early laws simply prohibited driving while intoxicated, with no varied definition of what level of inebriation qualified The first generally-accepted legal limit for blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.15 (in 1938, the American Medical Association created a "Committee to Study Problems of Motor Vehicle Accidents"; at the same time, the National Safety Council get a "Committee on Tests for Intoxication".

All states in the U.S. designate a "per se" blood or breathe alcohol level as the threshold point for an independent criminal offense. Many jurisdictions use more serious penalties (such as jail time, larger fines, longer DUI program, and the installation of ignition interlock devices) in cases where the driver's BAC is over 0.20, or 0.15 in some places. In instances like an DWI it would be wise to have an Austin DWI Attorney to defend your rights and make easier on you.

In a few circumstances however, DUI may represent a lower offense in a DWI state. They also report average DUI or DWI conviction costs of about $5,540 (not including DUI defense attorney fees or lost wages).
For those people who permit been unlucky enough to experience the high costs of a DUI or DWI conviction, you know the surpassingly high costs associated with drunk driving which include DUI defense attorney fees, court costs, cost of treatment classes, higher auto insurance, not to mention injury or death in some cases. Drunk driving offenders have need to a criminal defense lawyer whose law design is primarily in the field drunk driving defense and is a qualified DWI or DUI lawyer or DWI or DUI attorney.

It's worth spending a few bucks on a device that can help monitor your BAC so that you don't end-up getting pulled over after having 4-5 beers during the game, and you end up blowing a .08 or .09. A second criminal offense of driving "under the influence" or "while impaired"- is also usually charged in most states, with a permissive presumption of guilt where the person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is .08 percent or greater (units of milligrams per deciliter, representing 8 g of alcohol in 100 deciliters of blood).

Texas DWI cases can backlog the system faster than any other type of misdemeanor, precisely because of the way we as a society handle them. Austin police Department has for all intents and purposes moved towards an arrest anyone with the smell or odor of an alcohol beverage on their breathe is kind of standard. With this mind, Austin DWI Attorney can be your option if not your best option. That is if we are talking about Austin DWI.

Drinking Problems and DWI Convictions

It is difficult for many of us to understand why anyone would operate a vehicle while drunk or under the influence of another drug. It is even more perplexing to learn that someone we know has been convicted of this crime multiple times. It seems like a matter of simple common sense to take a taxi or get a ride with a friend when one is impaired. Why do some people have difficulty doing this? There are many potential reasons, ranging from ignorance to recklessness to self-destructive impulses. One common factor among people with DWI convictions is a problem with drinking.

"Alcoholism" has been defined many different ways by many different individuals and organizations, depending on their personal views and experiences. The DSM IV-TR, the current manual that US psychologists use when making diagnoses, attempts to quantify mental health issues by defining them in terms of observable, measurable behaviors. Based on the information they have gathered, the authors of the DSM IV-TR offer two related but distinct drinking problems: abuse and dependency.

Alcohol abuse is the more mild of the two, although it can still have very serious consequences. A person is abusing alcohol if they continue to drink to excess after suffering some sort of consequence for it. The consequence(s) may be legal, such as a DWI conviction; emotional, such as loss of self-respect or damaged relationships with other people; financial, such as spending too much money on liquor or legal fees; or health-related, such as liver damage. A person who is abusing alcohol will not suffer physical symptoms of withdrawal when they cannot drink; they simply have no desire to quit. This may be because alcohol is a way for them to self-medicate a separate emotional problem, such as depression or anxiety. It may be that they feel alcohol gives them something they are lacking in their life, such as self confidence, a sense of security or happiness.

Alcohol dependence is similar to alcohol abuse, with one crucial addition: physiological symptoms. This can mean increased tolerance, requiring the person to drink more to get the same effects, or physical withdrawal. Symptoms of alcohol withdrawal include shakiness, anxiety or irritability, nausea and difficulty concentrating, among others. In the most severe cases, a person might experience what is known as the DT's - a period of intense distress and visual hallucinations.

Austin Texas DWI Lawyer - How To Handle Your Violation

While you should never drive while intoxicated, in Austin or anywhere else, it also helps to know the rules. What exactly constitutes a Austin DWI violation? That is what we will discuss here. The Austin DWI laws are quite strict and as long as you know what they are, you can avoid a lot of serious problems.

An Austin DWI offense is regulated by the blood alcohol content. When a police officer stops you for suspicious driving, he is permitted to do a blood alcohol test on the driver of the car. This may be either a breath test or a blood test, but it is completely legal under Austin DWI law for the official to request it. If your blood alcohol concentration is over .08, the legal limit, you can be arrested. If you refuse to take the test, you will be assumed guilty, so it is worth doing the breath analysis in case you are actually below the limit.

While the blood alcohol content test is a legal Austin DWI method of testing potentially drunk drivers, police officers usually begin by administering a sobriety test. These are pretty standard all over the country, where you will be asked to touch your nose with alternating fingers, walk in a straight line and stand on one foot. Should you fail this, you will be given the blood alcohol test. If you fail the test, you will be arrested under Austin DWI law and taken in to the police station.

Austin DWI laws are quite specific and you should be very careful to avoid breaking them since you can be held in jail until your court date. Simply appointing a designated driver will solve all these problems on a good night out.

DWI Attorneys - Getting an Attorney For a DWI

Drinking and Driving is the act of operating or driving a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol and drugs to the extent that both mental and driving skills are impaired. It is illegal in all jurisdictions within the United States. The specific criminal offense is usually called driving under the influence or operating while intoxicated.

Every Day people are charged with a DWI or DUI (drunk driving) and have never been in trouble with the law before. They don't know what to expect or how to find help. Many individuals may not understand that immediate action is needed to save their drivers' license. Losing a drivers license can make a persons life extremely hard. In this case many people may look towards getting an attorney

Getting Your License suspended or revoked normally follows conviction for alcohol-impaired driving. Under an administrative license suspension, licenses are taken before conviction when a driver fails to refuse to take a chemical test. Because administrative license suspension laws are in a different category than criminal procedures and are invoked right after you are arrested, they've been found to be a lot more effective than the usual post-conviction sanctions. Administrative license suspension laws are in place in 41 states including District of Columbia.

Making the right decision about a Drinking While Driving attorney can affect your life many years down the road. DWI Attorneys focus on fighting aggressively for your individual rights and making sure that you receive the highest level of representation. Facing a DWI charge is difficult, but definitely worth talking to someone about.

Austin DWI Lawyer

If you face charges on grounds of driving under the influence in Austin, you will have to understand that there is a serious problem knocking on your door and only an Austin DWI lawyer can help you get out of this mess. DWI cases in the city have long procedures and require time, energy, money, and even your job along with your image. Such cases have lasting impressions on your mind and you need to get out of them by taking the help of DWI attorneys as soon as possible.

If you are driving intoxicated, and violation of traffic rules are noticed by police officials, there is every possibility that you will face an arrest. Patrolling during peak hours are norms throughout the city. The Government has installed several checkpoints for checking on drunken drivers. If you are found not in your senses, the police may conduct a blood test on you.

After the conclusion of these tests, in case the level of alcohol or any intoxicating substances in your blood is found to be more than 0.08, you can be arrested. Police officers may also conduct sobriety tests on you. They ask you to move in straight lines and stand on one foot. If you fail, things start to complicate. If you decline in taking these tests, your driving license, will be suspended. If you fall prey to DWI cases, only a competent Austin DWI lawyer can help you challenge the authority.

You should immediately contact an Austin DWI lawyer, who will properly guide you through the strict legal rules of Austin DWI laws. You should never try being an attorney in these cases, as they require a professional touch.

Austin DWI lawyers try their best to ensure their clients receive the minimum penalty possible. However, it is up to the client to be positive and generally truthful in their dealings with them. You should not hesitate to deal with an Austin DWI lawyer as they are the only ones, who can save you from arrests or imprisonment or even a hefty fine that can be over $5k.

However, there is advice, which all the lawyers give to their clients and it should be remembered by everyone, don't drive drunk and then you will never be in need of an Austin DWI lawyer.

Austin DWI Attorney - Top 5 Firms in Austin

1-Dunham & Rogers: With an experience of more than 20 years, attorneys at Dunham & Rogers know fully well how to defend and win DWI cases. Another good thing about this law firm is that the fees are not too high and you can easily afford it.

2-Law Office of EG Morris: Texas Board of Legal Specialization has recently awarded EG Morris the designation of Criminal Law Specialist. In addition, he has also earned the prestigious AV rating from the Martindale Hubbell legal directory. With team members also been highly qualified, Law Office of EG Morris is a perfect DWI attorney firm for your DWI case. Customer service is also top class at Law Office of EG Morris.

3-KUHN, DOYLE, & KUHN: KUHN, DOYLE, & KUHN is an Austin based law firm that specializes in DWI. The best part about this law firm is that they do not charge any sort of consultation fee.

4-Ben Florey Law Offices: Unlike many law firms where individual attention is not given to the clients, Ben Florey Law offices give their clients individual attention, which is quite critical in handling of DWI cases.

5-IAN INGLIS Attorney at Law: Certified as criminal law specialist by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, Ian Inglis has an experience of more than 25 years in handling DWI cases. When you take the services of Ian Inglis, he will arrange an administrative license revocation hearing for you, which means that you are not going to loose your driving license.

DWI attorneys try their best to ensure their clients receive the minimum penalty possible but it is upto the client to be positive and generally truthful in their dealings with the attorney.

Austin Texas DWI Attorney – Bill White

It is against the law in Texas to drive a car, motorcycle, boat, or any other motor vehicle while intoxicated. DUI (Driving Under the Influence) and DWI (Driving While Intoxicated) are serious criminal offenses related to driving a motor vehicle while under the influence of either alcohol or drugs.
If you are driving erratically or violating traffic laws, the police may stop you and, if they believe you are intoxicated, ask you to submit to a field sobriety test. They may measure your blood alcohol content by asking you to submit to a breathalyzer test, or by asking for a blood or urine sample. In the state of Texas, a person is legally intoxicated and may be arrested and charged with DUI/DWI with a blood alcohol content of 0.08 percent or higher.

When you are charged with driving under the influence in Georgetown, Austin, Williamson or anywhere in Texas, DUI lawyer Bill White works with you to achieve the best possible outcome. Bill White is an experienced criminal defense attorney in both state and federal cases in Texas. Having the right Austin state criminal defense attorney can make all the difference when your case goes before the prosecutor or to trial.

Georgetown Texas DUI and your rights

If you are stopped in Georgetown, Texas for DWI, it is important to know your legal rights:

• You have the right to refuse a breathalyzer, blood, or urine alcohol test. Your refusal will result in an automatic suspension of your driver’s license for a minimum of 90 days (a minimum of one year if you are under age 21), but it cannot be used as evidence against you in court.
• Being stopped for questioning by the police is not the same as an arrest. Although you may be detained, you are not moved to a different location.
• A police officer may ask you questions during a stop, but you have the right to refuse to answer. The Miranda Rule, which provide federal defense for those that are arresteddoes not apply to anything you say before you are arrested, so anything you say at this point can be used against you later in court.

Confirmed: HOPA Dry Erase Girl Is A Hoax, Identity Revealed

The photo shoot, which happened that Friday, was for an image board site called The Chive. The Chive (which gets around 5.6 million unique visits a month, according to Google) is part of a network of viral sites run by brothers Leo and John Resig, who have a storied history of manufacturing Internet hoaxes, most notably the$10,000 Donald Trump tip and the infamous “virgin text messages her dad that she lost her virginity.” Both hoaxes ended up punking various mainstream media outlets including Fox News, Gawker and Jay Leno.

Porterfield told TechCrunch, “When I went into the audition, I didn’t know what it was for — but thought that this couldn’t be too bawdy or promiscuous or else they wouldn’t have me holding a dry erase board. “ The actress’ prior claims to fame include being compared to Angelina Jolie in People Magazine and performing in her college theater troupe. She had not heard of the acronym HOPA beforehand.

The brothers Resig came up with the idea for “Dry Erase Girl” about a month ago at the King’s Head Bar in Santa Monica, CA, and wrote down the details on paper napkins, including the etymology of HOPA (see below). Says John Resig, “We came up with a hoax that was completely relatable. It wasn’t spread by TechCrunch and Reddit. It was spread by Facebook and inter-office email. Everyone wants to quit their jobs like this.“

All they had to do was post the images of Porterfield holding the dry erase board on The Chive at around 4:30 am this morning, and College Humor re-posted, followed shortly by TechCrunch. Resig says they targeted us because his publicist said that they should try for a TechCrunch write-up (Nice work guys). When asked if this was done purely to garner traffic and get media attention, Resig responded,

“We didn’t do this for the media. I’d did it almost to prove to myself that I had it in me, to make something go viral at 4:30 in the morning before the world wakes up. You get a pure thrill of watching your site go from 15,000 uniques to 440,000 uniques in a single hour, watching yourself sucker every site from a-z who didn’t do their backstory.”

And later, “It struck a personal chord. And people wanted to share it.” To the tune of 238k facebook shares and 31k tweets. Based on what was essentially a lie. The brothers told a skeptical Peter Kafka that Jenny was “real,” they told us that people “want to believe.”

From Resig:

“People, particularly journalists, underestimate America’s appetite for a good story. This story wasn’t primarily done to see how many people in the mainstream media we could hoodwink (though that was fun), it wasn’t done for the publicity, money, nor was it a slapdash reaction to someJetBlue clown; it was done purely for the entertainment of the people first and foremost. The purpose of the hoax was to entertain and inspire, not to inform, so what difference does it make if the story has a single ounce of truth? After our second hoax I remember a reporter telling me, ‘Well it looks like you’ve fooled us twice. Won’t get away with this nonsense again.”

Austin Police Department set to roll out new Bat Bus

The city agreed to buy a breath alcohol testing bus so officers don’t have to make the trip to the county jail.

The new Bat Bus will have to stations for Intoxilyzer 5000s as well as workstations for the officers to review the videotapes of the incident and prepare the offense reports.

Futher, there will be City Marshalls on hand to transport folks who have been arrested to the jail facility. This will allow officers like the one they call “the Machine” to get back on the street faster. The Machine currently holds the record for making 7 arrests in one night.

“Typical, DWI arrest takes between three and four hours,” Austin police Cmdr. Patti Robertson said. “It narrows it down. Takes off 3/4 of that time. They have all the paperwork, turns it over to the officers on the bus.”

DWI has become big business in Austin.

“We are at 800 per 100,000 people for DWI arrests…” Robertson said. “What that means is we are ……the highest in the state for DWI arrests. I think that speaks volumes.” It certainly does.

Changes in DWI Law in Texas

As of today, September 1, two new laws go into force that deal with DWIs in Texas. Section 724.017 of the Transportation Code is now expended to allow more situations where police can do a forced blood draw without a warrant. Mandatory warrantless blood draws are now allowed if a person is arrested for DWI, or BWI, the person refuses to submit to the taking of a specimen volutarily, and: 1) an individual other than the person arrested has suffered bodily injury and was transported to a hospital or other medical facility for medical treatment; 2) the person is arrested for DWI with a child passenger under 15; 3) the officer has reliable information that the person has been previously convicted of DWI two or more times; or 4) the officer has reliable information that the person has been previously convicted of DWI with a child passenger under 15, intoxication assault, or intoxication manslaughter.

The Legislature also tried to give some assurance to the health care providers that actually draw the blood persuant to a blood warrant, or mandatory blood draw. Section 724.017 of the Transportation code was amended to provide protection to those who take blood specimens according to "recognized medical procedures." However, this change in the law DOES NOT relieve a person from lability for negligence in the taking of a blood specimen. And there lies the danger to anyone that takes blood under these intrusive warrant/warrantless blood draws.

Travis County is going to start doing more blood draws at the jail

The Austin American Statesman reported today that the Travis County Commissioners voted to enter into an agreement between Travis County and the City of Austin that will allow for a phlebotomist to be at the jail from Tuesday night through Sunday morning. These folks have reported that they anticipate the cost of this service to be approximately $60,243 per year. What they are not taking into account is the added cost of having those folks present to testify in the cases for which they drew blood. I was told that they plan to contract with a "phlebotomy service", rather than hire a single phlebotomist. The logical nightmare will be when the actual person that took the blood no longer works at the contracted service. Further, who do they think is going to pay for their time.

The article states that the phlebotomist(s) will work from 9:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. Well, we shall see how they feel about waking up to be in court at 9:00 a.m. Further, who is going to pay for the blood to be tested. Chief Acevedo has been pushing for a full time no refusal policy, and I think this is just one step towards his goal. As I have stated in past posts, this isn't Williamson County. Folks, in general, are against people being held down and stabbed with a needle. Sooner or later, Acevedo will have to realize that. Either that, or maybe another city will consider him for their Chief, since Dallas apparently didn't want him.