Greenfinger said...This must be some sort of record for the most amount of crap posted in one week ???
HEY I stubbed my toe on the curb today and a car tooted its horn just beforehand.
I am seriously contemplating suing that car driver for distracting me as I was about to step from the road up to the sidewalk...
But then I calmed down and worked through the circumstances that led up to my slightly embarrassing stumble.
The poor unfortunate car driver can not be held totally to blame, because he was only pushing a horn that was installed by the manufacturer of the vehicle he was convinced into buying by some highly likely, unscrupulous car salesman that was under high pressure to sell that car just to pay his mortgage, bills, kids school fees, etc.
So now I am just totally dumbfounded as to the the course of action I should pursue. I am making a concerted effort to document all random horn blowing and measuring the average curb height on as many suburban roads as possible. These records may possibly give me a certain amount of confidence as to what course of action to take against, (1) The motorist. (2) The vehicle manufacturer. (3) The road building contractor. (4) Other parties that may make themselves apparent after consulting with my legal advisors.
So in conclusion I must concur that I have somehow contributed to this most helpful and informative thread in some small percentage.
My toe hurts

Well let's fill the server up then ... here is some more crap for homework. Just some notes I've taken on the issue I'm interested in. Chew on that and see if you can work it out. You'll have to excuse the formatting -- but you're just not worth it!
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Nuisance
Nuisance … "to hurt") is a common law tort. It means that which causes offence, annoyance, trouble or injury. A nuisance can be either public (also "common") or private. A public nuisance was defined by English scholar Sir J. F. Stephen as,
"an act not warranted by law, or an omission to discharge a legal duty, which act or omission obstructs or causes inconvenience or damage to the public in the exercise of rights common to all His Majesty's subjects".[1]
Private nuisance is the interference with the right of specific people. Nuisance is one of the oldest causes of action known to the common law, with cases framed in nuisance going back almost to the beginning of recorded case law. Nuisance signifies that the "right of quiet enjoyment" is being disrupted to such a degree that a tort is being committed. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuisance And in the broader scheme of things which relate more proper to the interaction of kieboarding (and Show ponies) and the general public (of joe publics) –
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_nuisance Tort
A tort, in common law jurisdictions, is a wrong that involves a breach of a civil duty owed to someone else. It is differentiated from criminal wrongdoing, which involves a breach of a duty owed to society. Though many acts are both torts and crimes, only the state may prosecute a crime, whereas any party who has been injured may bring a lawsuit for tort. One who commits a tortious act is called a tortfeasor. The equivalent of tort in civil law jurisdictions is delict.
A person who suffers a tortious injury is entitled to receive "damages", usually monetary compensation, from the person or people responsible--or liable--for those injuries. Tort law defines what is a legal injury and, therefore, whether a person may be held liable for an injury they have caused. Legal injuries are not limited to physical injuries but may also include emotional, economic, or reputational injuries as well as violations of privacy, property, or constitutional rights. Tort cases therefore comprise such varied topics as auto accidents, false imprisonment, defamation, product liability (for defective consumer products), copyright infringement, and environmental pollution (toxic torts), among many others.
In much of the common law world, the most prominent tort liability is negligence. If the injured party can prove that the person believed to have caused the injury acted negligently (or without taking reasonable care to avoid injuring others), tort law will allow compensation. However, tort law also recognizes intentional torts, where a person has intentionally acted in a way that harms another, and "strict liability," which allows recovery under certain circumstances without negligence. …
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tort Proximate cause
In the law, a proximate cause is an event sufficiently related to a legally recognizable injury to be held the cause of that injury. There are two types of causation in the law, cause-in-fact and proximate (or legal) cause. Cause-in-fact is determined by the "but-for" test: but for the action, the result would not have happened. For example, but for running the red light, the collision would not have occurred. For an act to cause a harm, both tests must be met; proximate cause is a legal limitation on cause-in-fact.
Direct Causation
Direct causation is a minority test, which addresses only the metaphysical concept of causation. The main thrust of direct causation is that there are no intervening causes between an act and the resulting harm. An intervening cause has several requirements: it must 1) be independent of the original act, 2) be a voluntary human act or an abnormal natural event, and 3) occur in time between the original act and the harm.
Direct causation is the only theory that addresses only causation, and does not take into account the culpability of the original actor.
Risk enhancement/causal link
The plaintiff must demonstrate that the defendant's action increased the risk that the particular harm suffered by the plaintiff would occur. If the action were repeated, the likelihood of the harm would correspondingly increase. This is also called foreseeable risk
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proximate_cause In law, damages is an award of money to be paid to a person as compensation for loss or injury;[1] grammatically, it is a singular noun, not plural.
General damages
General damages, sometimes styled hedonic damages, compensate the claimant for the non-monetary aspects of the specific harm suffered. This is usually termed 'pain, suffering and loss of amenity'. Examples of this include physical or emotional pain and suffering, loss of companionship, loss of consortium, disfigurement, loss of reputation, loss or impairment of mental or physical capacity, loss of enjoyment of life, etc.[3] This is not easily quantifiable, and depends on the individual circumstances of the claimant. Judges in the United Kingdom base the award on damages awarded in similar previous cases.
General damages are generally awarded only in claims brought by individuals, when they have suffered personal harm. Examples would be personal injury (following the tort of negligence by the defendant), or the tort of defamation.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Damages Beach Bye Laws
The Council of the County of Clare in pursuance of the powers conferred on it under the Local Government Act, 2001 (Bye-Laws) Regulations, 2006, the Maritime Safety Act 2005, the Control of Dogs Act 1986, the Casual Trading Act 1995, the Control of Horses Act 1996, the Litter Act 1997-2003, Local Government (Sanitary Services) Acts 1878-1964 and in the interests of the common good hereby makes the following bye-laws for the beaches set out in the schedule hereto in the County of Clare:-
Surfboards/Sailboards/Kiteboards/Canoes/Kayaks
25. No person shall wind surf on sailboards or kite surf on kiteboards or surf on a surfboard or use a canoe or kayak in close proximity to swimmers.
26. The Council may designate areas of the beach that will be clearly defined and to which the use of surf/kite/sail boards, canoes and kayaks is restricted.
27. No person shall offer tuition in surfing or any other water sport/activity from the beach or in the sea unless done in accordance with the standards issued from time to time by the Irish Water Safety and/or other body recognised to issue such standards by Clare County Council and unless done in accordance with the conditions of a license.
VIII. General
Nothing contained in or done under any of the provisions of the foregoing bye-laws shall in any respect prejudice or injuriously affect the rights and interests of the state in the foreshore, or prevent the exercise thereon of any public rights, or prejudice or injuriously affect any right, power or privilege legally exercisable by any person in, over or in respect of the foreshore.
www.clarecoco.ie/Accessible_HTML/waste_water_environment/Beach_Bye_laws/Clare_Beach_Bye_Laws.html The Good Samaritan that provided this account said that he can't find words to explain this accident. He felt that an accident was inevidable under the severe conditions. He further said that we need to learn how to effectively communicate to people that we are on their side when giving advice and that we need to stay together particularly on such critical issues. ** We should discuss this question among ourselves and try to come up with some effective answers. When it comes to Safety & Sustainability of this sport, we are all in this together. If other information is available please send it to me via PM or email to <flkitesurfer@hotmail.com>. Comments and content may be added to this account over the next day or so. (Mar 24, 2004)
www.kiteforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=2301017The Risk in Giving Advice - Professional Indemnity Insurance and the Electricity Industry
________________________________________________________________________
In our increasingly litigious environment as “professionals” in our various fields of expertise we will be held accountable, by others, for the mistakes resulting from our advice and services.
Traditionally a “Professional” was perceived to encompass such occupations as doctors, lawyers and accountants. However with the evolution of technology and the expectations of consumers to be provided with “expert” advice from all facets of industry, this has expanded into traditional “trade” sectors, such as electrical industry practitioners.
An electrical industry practitioner utilizes their special skills (“expertise”) when providing advice to their customers. As an expert (“Professional”) in their field their advice is relied upon by others and…
eservices.esv.vic.gov.au/esvext/hsi/ElectronicDocument/Risk%20in%20Giving%20Advice.pdfebook –
ebookbrowse.com/risk-in-giving-advice-pdf-d39483123Worrells Solvency & Fraud Conference
1 November 2003
THE RISKS OF GIVING ADVICE
Paul McQuade
Barrister-at-Law
Introduction
There is always a risk of giving advice, but that risk may be managed. The first important
factor in managing risk is to have an understanding of the types of risks confronting an
accountant when giving advice. In this paper I wish to address in a general way the duty of
care of accountants arising by contract, and the common law duty of care. However, I wish to
concentrate on three emerging areas:
1. The Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth);
2. The concept of knowingly concerned in a contravention both in respect of the Trade
Practices Act and the Corporations Act;
3. The potential for being brought to account for a breach of fiduciary duty of a client.
Trade Practices Act
The Trade Practices Act 1974 (Cth) (“the Act”) is playing an emerging role in relation to
professionals generally. Recent decisions of the High Court have clarified the damages, which
may be claimed under s 82.
I will deal with the issue of misleading and deceptive conduct in s 52. That provision
provides:
“A Corporation shall not in trade or commerce engage in conduct that is misleading
or deceptive or is likely to mislead or deceive.”
To whom does the Act apply?
As referred to in s 52 the Act primarily regulates the conduct of corporations. The term
“Corporation” is defined (in terms of the Commonwealth’s Legislative Power in relation to
Corporate entities) to mean a foreign corporation, a trading or financial corporation formed
within Australia or the holding company or any such corporation.
Importantly, the Act also extends to the conduct of individuals:
1. The Act applies to the conduct of “persons” in trade or commerce between either of the
states or territories and between Australia and places outside Australia or by way of
supply of goods or services;
2. Where the conduct of a person involves the use of post or telephonic services and things
done in the course of the promotional activities of a professional person in a territory: s
6(2) & (4).
That extended definition includes conduct utilising the telephone (oral communication or
facsimile transmissions) and the sending of an e-mail8:
Therefore the Act may apply to the accountant by reason of:
1. The practice being incorporated;
2. The extended definition, in that the advice was given over the telephone, by facsimile
transmission or by e-mail.
[substitute KS Trainer for accountant].
www.worrells.net.au/library/insolvency/Risk%20of%20Giving%20Advice.pdf How to give advice successfully
Giving advice is a delicate matter. Helpful as you might wish to be, sometimes your good intentions might be interpreted as interference, criticism or being judgmental.
Giving advice successfully does not mean that the person you are advising will take your advice to heart. Being successful merely means that you potentially exit from the advisory conversation with your relationship still intact
Tips for giving advice successfully:
* Avoid giving unsolicited advice
No matter how tempted you may be, do not offer advice unless asked. The target of your well-intentioned advice might take offense, becoming hurt or angry. Better to bite your tongue and salvage the relationship than to give uninvited advice.
* Listen carefully
When someone does ask for your opinion and advice, listen carefully first in order to determine what advice or reassurance the person is actually seeking. Sometimes what initially sounds like a plea for help might simply be that person’s way of opening up the opportunity to vent his frustrations. He might be looking for a good listener, as opposed to actual advice about his problem.
* Think before you speak
Consider the subject and ponder your knowledge and experience in that area. If a friend is seeking marital advice and you have never been married, you might want to be sympathetic while refraining from offering advice. If a relative is seeking advice about job opportunities and you work in human resources, then your advice might be useful.
Be wary not to be caught between two disagreeing factions. If your friend is seeking advice regarding a confrontation with his spouse, coworker, another friend or his parent, you might not want to be caught in the middle; your well-intentioned advice might come back to bite you. You may not want to get involved, but you might advise your friend to seek the help of a counselor, his church advisor or some other objective party who can adequately help him.
* Be positive
Avoid having a critical, judgmental or reprimanding tone. The person wanting your advice is potentially already stressed and will not benefit from further disapproval from you. Stay upbeat and positive, letting your friend know that you are there for him without passing judgment on his situation. Often compassion serves to help the situation even better than advice.
* Empathize
Share your own stories of how you handled a similar situation. This puts the person needing advice at ease and comfortable with the conversation. It is comforting to know that someone else has experienced the same issue and survived. Empathy makes advice easier to accept.
* Offer your advice in the form of a question
Sometimes the most successful way to give advice is to put your ideas in the form of a question. For example, you might ask, “Have you thought of doing this, or saying such and such?” By the time your conversation ends, the person needing advice might draw his own conclusions based on your thoughtful questions.
* Know when to give up
If you are offering advice or solutions and the recipient of your remarks displays negative body language, such as frowning, folding his arms across his chest, as if closing you out, be aware that your advice is not being well-received and change the subject. To continue would be to cross the line from giving friendly advice to preaching.
Knowing when to give advice, and when to keep your thoughts to yourself, is all part of being a skillful communicator. Skillful communicaton is a necessary tool for maintaining good relationships.
“The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent about whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right.” (anonymous)
www.helium.com/items/1908074-how-to-give-advice-successfully