STAYING in TouchKellam’s Corner

Car Seat Recalls

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June 2014 Newsletter | VOLUME 3 - ISSUE 6 | www.ktparkslaw.com

Social Media Thieves

Bon appetit – Greek style!

Rubber Duck in Norfolk

Summer has begun and with it comes the end of school, vaca-tions, and the continuing heat. Summer also brings the majori-ty of Virginia’s law changes, which take effect on July 1. We’ll be highlighting some of the major changes for you in our next Newsletter.

The firm’s business continues to grow and we’re excited to say that we’re actively looking for an experienced associate to assist us with the Family Law part of our practice. The details of who we’re looking for can be found on our website, if you or anyone you know may fit the bill. http://goo.gl/1lffrC

As usual, we love to hear from everyone - share with us your vacation pictures and news.

Can you “taste” food without salvia? Dry your tongue, close your eyes (sight gives you an expectation of taste) and have someone place dry food on your tongue. Chemoreceptors in your taste buds require a liquid to allow flavors to bind. Salvia contains the enzyme amylase, allowing sugars and carbs to taste “right.”

Malfunctions with a child’s car seat that lead to recalls happen more frequently than you would expect; such as a buckle that sticks, or a harness that doesn’t stay connected. It’s very import-ant for the safety of your child to address any potential issues im-mediately. If you registered your child’s car seat with the manufac-turer, you should receive recall notices. If you haven’t, check this website to find out if there has been a recall: http://goo.gl/02GVrq.

This publication is intended to educate the general public about various issues. It is not intended to be legal advice. Every case is different.

IN THIS ISSUE:

With social media sites, sometimes what seems like a harm-

less comment could open you up to identity theft, burglary,

or worse. According to howstuffworks.com, 40% of social

media users allow “open access” to their profile, meaning

anyone can see what they post. One of the most import-

ant things to remember is once you post something on the

internet, you don’t control the content anymore and it’s nev-

er gone. Personal information and pictures you don’t want

shared are now accessible to thieves and foes alike. Even if

you use the strictest privacy settings, there is always the pos-

sibility that a friend who doesn’t realize the potential for harm

could disclose your information. Risks include local hackers,

not just the criminal enterprises that target large corporations

like Living Social, eBay, Michael’s, et al. Aside from not post-

ing your full name and birth date (or that of your children),

you should also refrain from posting your home address and

phone number. If someone needs that information, send it to

him or her in a private email.

There’s no doubt that social media is a great tool for keeping in

touch, getting people involved and spreading the word about

various activities. However, posting your social plans also tells

people that you won’t be home. A study done by Credit Ses-

ame found that 80% of the thieves interviewed used Face-

book, Twitter, Foursquare, and Google Street View to plan

their heists. Send private invites when you want people to join

you. Same goes with travel plans; you don’t want everyone

knowing you’ll be gone for an extended period of time. If you

have a friend coming to take care of your pets or house, ask

them not to post anything about it. You should also wait until

you’ve returned home to post any pictures and details about

your trip.

Refrain from posting anything at all about your finances;

where you bank, what investments you have, and whether or

not you are doing well financially. Think of all the websites you

use that require passwords; banking, bill paying, email, online

shopping accounts, etc. Most of these sites also use security

questions in case you forget your password. They might ask

for something like your mother’s maiden name, a pet’s name,

high school mascot, or oldest sibling’s name. Now think of

the innocuous comments you may post online- “I had to take

Fluffy to the vet today,” or “I can’t believe our 20 year reunion

is coming up! Granby High class of 1994!” If thieves already

know where you bank, the clues that could help them access

your accounts or steal your identity are there for the taking.

Often we “friend” new acquaintances or people we knew

many years ago. They may well be the people you don’t want

having access to your personal information. Facebook allows

you to separate people into groups, “friends” or “acquaintanc-

es.” Utilize this option, and tag your posts accordingly. There

is truth to the phrase “TMI”, the best rule when it comes to

social media is that many things are better left unshared!

SOCIAL MEDIA AND CRIME

We value all our clients. If you refer someone to us, we promise to answer his or her ques-tions and provide first-rate, attentive service. We want to thank you for your referrals and for coming back to us when we can be of service.

“Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind, but great actions speak to all mankind.”

We welcome your referrals!

– Theodore Roosevelt

DUCK IN THE HAGUE

It seems everyone has been talking about the Duck in The Hague for quite some time

now. The 40 foot inflated rubber duck was the star attraction for the reopening of Nor-

folk’s Chrysler Museum. The art display was set afloat in The Hague from May 17th-

26th. There was even a 24/7 live stream of “Rubber Duck” so you could see all the folks

visiting.

Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman states his “Rubber Duck” is indeed art that has brought

smiles to millions of faces, so he does not seem concerned with opinions to the contrary.

He even flew to Norfolk to sign small rubber duck souvenirs. He builds his temporary art

in open places that may not be favored by the local community or go unnoticed. His art

makes you notice that space indeed and when he removes it, you see the space anew.

Since Hofman began his Duck work in 2007, there have been several ducks of various

sizes displayed in Belgium, Japan (where he is proclaimed a rock star), Brazil, China,

Australia, Taiwan, and more. The Pittsburg Cultural Trust owns this particular piece of

Hofman artwork, in storage since last October’s Festival, but it is Hofman who deter-

mines where his artwork will be displayed next.

As for the Chrysler Museum, the re-opening has been a tremendous success! Be sure

you go and see how transformed the experience has become. Refurbished galleries,

extended outdoor displays, and more local artists’ works are now on display.

Hope you made it to the Greek Festival in Norfolk last month! The food was delicious and the entertainment inter-esting. Having tasted some of the fare offered created further cravings, so I set out to find some Greek flavored foods to cook at home. First, I found a spice mix that can be used as a rub or in side dishes to give them Greek flavor. You mix 2 tsp Black pepper, ½ tsp salt, 1 Tbsp Onion powder, 1 Tbsp Garlic powder, 2 tsp Parsley, 2 tsp Paprika, 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1 tsp Ground Nutmeg, 1 heaping Tbsp Oregano, and 1 tsp Thyme to make about ½ cup of the mix. I took 3 large chicken breasts-cut each into thirds, rubbed a drizzle of olive oil on each and then sprinkled the spice mix all over the chicken pieces and into the Ziploc bag to marinate overnight. I then grilled them, along with some corn on the cob. We liked it so much; it will now be a staple in my kitchen. And who knew Spanakopita was so simple? Cara and I both love this spinach, cheese and filo dough side dish. You will find the recipes on our website @ http://goo.gl/HnO3lG Do you have a favorite Greek restaurant or recipe? Let me know at dmontagna@ktparkslaw.com, I’d love to try it!

Avery before her first Prom. She had dance rehearsal right before the event and our office is on the way, so she and her mother used our place as the pit stop to get ready. Dad had late-night pick up duty!

Deb, Cara & Bryant saw the amazing Cirque Me-chanics performance at Towne Center. If you want to see what events are coming, follow our Pinterest board “Local Events” at http://www.pinterest.com/ktparkslaw/.

Family Time...

Family Law:

On The Local Front

If you and your spouse can’t agree on spousal support (alimony), the Court will step in and determine the amount and duration of support. There are 13 factors set by the Code of Virginia that they take into consideration for final divorces, one being the age and physical or mental condition of any children that would prevent one spouse from working outside the home. Check out our website for more information: http://goo.gl/wNfEcr.

Deb Dishes:

4164 Virginia Beach Blvd, Suite 204Virginia Beach, VA 23452-1762pho: 757.453.7744 | fax: 757.453.7578www.ktparkslaw.com

Social Media Thieves

Bon appetit – Greek style!

Rubber Duck in Norfolk

Law Office of Kellam T. Parks, PLLC

Law Office of Kellam T. Parks, PLLC

Ktparkslaw

Kellam Parks, Esquire

Visit our blog @ www.ktparkslaw.com/blog

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

We’re wrapping up discussion of Spring cleaning your computer this month with organization and speeding up your system.

If you’ve owned your computer for any length of time, you’ve no doubt downloaded a ton of files and just dumped them wherever. There is a free tool I recommend that with a little training will allow you to automatically file the mismatched files where they should go (such as all .jpeg files to your pictures folder). Dropit (http://www.dropitproject.com/) is open-source software, so it takes a little work to get it set up properly, but the website has documentation to help if needed.

In addition to misplaced files you actually want to keep, odds are you have numerous old files and downloads you don’t want/need anymore. To assist in identifying what is taking up space on your computer, you can use a program such as WinDirStat (https://windirstat.info/download.html) which visualizes the space on your

drives and you can then delete whatever you don’t want/need.Beyond the easy-to-locate files/programs, you can also run a pro-gram such as CCleaner to locate and then choose to purge files that waste space you may not need (such as temporary internet files, etc.) The free version can be found here: https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download/standard. Before you delete anything, just be sure what you are deleting you don’t need.

Lastly, to speed up your start-up, you can use CCleaner to see what programs are running on boot-up. Under “Tools” on the left of the program is an option for “Startup” that will show you all the programs that run when your computer starts. Anything you don’t want/need you can disable.

Using the tips over the last three months you’ve hopefully gotten your computer clean and running better than ever!

Tech Tip:

New address? New phone number? New Email? Help us stay current by letting us know. Call Deb at 757.453.7579 or email her at dmontagna@ktparkslaw.com. If you wish to unsubscribe to this newsletter, please call Deb. Thanks!