- Elaine Mandel | October 31, 2006 5:20 PM |
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MiscellaneousThe United States Supreme Court takes up the issue of punitive damages - meant to punish corporate wrongdoers - with a new case against cigarette maker Philip Morris USA.For 45 years, Jesse Williams smoked two packs of Marlboros a day. Williams believed Philip Morris' decades of PR claiming that cigarette smoking was safe. After he died of lung cancer, William's widow sued Philip Morris USA. ...
- Helen Zukin | October 30, 2006 3:00 AM |
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Toxic SubstancesPerchlorate found to cause thyroid damage. Further evidence of perchlorate dangers to humans. A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia has found that low levels of perchlorate, previously considered safe, can cause thyroid disease in women. Perchlorate is a common ingredient in rocket fuel and is a widespread contaminate of groundwater...
- Paul Kiesel | October 29, 2006 1:57 PM |
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MiscellaneousFor the first time in his papacy Pope Benedict XVI spoke out against priest abuse. There has been a growing spotlight on the Vatican's response to sexual molestation since the release of the recent documentary "Hear No Evil." "The wounds caused by such acts run deep," Benedict said.The Pope told the bishops that, as they continued to deal with the problem, "it is important to establish the...
- Cheryl Buchanan | October 29, 2006 1:37 AM |
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MiscellaneousAs anyone who has studied the patterns and practices of pedophiles knows, they seldom strike once. Earlier this week, the first lawsuit was filed in the Miami Archdiocese naming Father Anthony Mercieca. Mercieca has become a household name recently, following the accusations of former Congressman Mark Foley. Now that a second courageous individual has come forward, one can't help but wonder...
- Michael Eyerly | October 27, 2006 11:41 PM |
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MiscellaneousSeven clergy cases pending against the Los Angeles Archdiocese settle for $10 million.The parties involved in seven clergy abuse cases reached a settlement agreement yesterday. The seven cases settled for a total of $10 million. Two of the victims alleged they were sexually molested while attending a school in Encino. The cases all involved 67 year old Dominic Savino, who was a Carmelite...
- Patrick DeBlase | October 26, 2006 12:18 AM |
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MiscellaneousAmbulances and hospitals caught in the act of dumping patients on skid row.In the "Man's Inhumanity to Man" file: It's no secret that state and national health care and insurance programs are in shambles and people's ability to afford such insurance or care is on a downward spiral. The end result is an utter lack of preventative maintenance and people without health insurance getting sicker...
- Elaine Mandel | October 24, 2006 11:25 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe trucking industry is trying to take responsibility and help decrease the number of highway big rig collisions by proposing to limit big rigs' speed on the roads. Every year, thousands of Americans are killed or seriously injured in highway accidents involving large commercial trucks. We all know these huge vehicles can be a menace on the roads. These big rig accidents can be very serious,...
- Elaine Mandel | October 24, 2006 11:10 AM |
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Miscellaneous
- Helen Zukin | October 23, 2006 3:00 AM |
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Toxic SubstancesStudy finds IBM workers at increased risk of cancer. Cancer rate higher than national average for IBM workersA study of nearly 32,000 International Business Machines Corp. workers found a statistically significant increase in worker cancer death rates. The study looked at data collected by IBM on the causes of death of a large number of workers who died between 1969 and 2001. For years IBM...
- Paul Kiesel | October 22, 2006 5:38 PM |
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MiscellaneousFather Aguilar was accused of molestation, and, just prior to his arrest, he fled back to Mexico, perhaps with the assistance of the Los Angeles archdiocese, according to yesterday's New York Times. Last night I saw the play "Doubt" here in Los Angeles. "Doubt" is the story of a priest in the early 1960s at a Catholic school on the east coast. As I sat in the audience, watching the story...
- Cheryl Buchanan | October 22, 2006 12:05 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe Catholic Church's response to former Congressman Mark Foley's allegations of sexual molestation by a Florida priest has captured lots of headlines. But is anyone really paying attention to the depth of the emptiness behind this "Zero Tolerance Policy" in action? As reported by the New York Times, on October 21st, Father Anthony Mercieca has acknowledged being naked with teenage Mark in the...
- Michael Eyerly | October 20, 2006 7:30 PM |
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Toxic SubstancesJudge throws out environmental group's unfair competition challenge against alternative energy generators based on lack of standing Who owns California's natural environment: the air and water, the trees and wild animals? Nobody - at least according to a recent Alameda County Superior Court decision. Judge Bonnie Sabraw threw out a suit brought by the environmental group, Center for...
- Patrick DeBlase | October 19, 2006 9:42 PM |
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MiscellaneousDespite huge windfall profits at the expense of injured workers, Callifornia's workers' compensation carriers are still shortchanging applicants on accepted injury claims. A class action lawsuit by Kiesel, Boucher & Larson, LLP seeks to restore injured workers their appropriate benefits under the law.In 2004, Governor Schwarzenegger pushed sweeping changes to the workers' compensation laws...
- Paul Kiesel | October 18, 2006 11:34 AM |
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MiscellaneousThe San Diego Union-Tribune reports today that 5 cases are scheduled for trial in early 2007 as part of the Southern California clergy abuse litigation against the Roman Catholic Church. The priests whose sexual abuse will be the subject of these San Diego trials include Patrick O'Keeffe, John Daly, Edward Anthony Rodrigue, William Kraft, and Franz Robier. Nicki Rister said she was 17 when the...
- Elaine Mandel | October 16, 2006 9:46 PM |
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MiscellaneousCalifornia Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's ties to Big Business are in evidence again as the Governor flip-flops and vetos two bills he used to support.Court judgments punishing corporations that do things wrong sounds good, right? Not to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, in a turnaround applauded by the business community, has vetoed two measures he once...
- Helen Zukin | October 16, 2006 3:00 AM |
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Toxic SubstancesE. coli outbreak linked to cattle ranch. E. coli investigation continuous as search for source narrows. Health inspectors announced on Thursday that the same strain of E. coli bacteria that caused three deaths and sickened 200 nationally was located at a Salinas Valley cattle ranch less than a mile from spinach fields. The strain of pathogenic E. coli 0157:H7 was found in three cattle fecal...
- Paul Kiesel | October 15, 2006 8:31 AM |
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MiscellaneousMexico bans attorneys who filed cases alleging priest abuse/priest molestation against the Mexican bishop and US Cardinal Roger Mahony from entering the country.Talk about power. In an unprecedented move, Mexico banned two American attorneys, as well as David Clohessy, the national director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), from entering the country. Attorney Jeff...
- Cheryl Buchanan | October 15, 2006 1:16 AM |
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MiscellaneousThis Friday, the much anticipated documentary, "Deliver Us From Evil", opened at a limited number of theaters in Boston, New York, and Los Angeles. Overall, the film which tells the story of pedophile priest, Oliver O'Grady, has been lauded by critics, nationally. The film depicts not only the heartbreaking journey of the victims and their familes, but also the cover-up by the Catholic Church...
- Elaine Mandel | October 10, 2006 6:16 PM |
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MiscellaneousIf you or someone you know has not been paid for overtime, or been cheated out of break time or meal time, you may have a claim -- and you coworkers might too. These are called "wage and hour" claims, and Wells Fargo just settled one for $12.8 million.Some employers are required to give their hourly workers breaks, such as lunch breaks. Hourly workers are also required to be paid for their...
- Helen Zukin | October 09, 2006 3:00 AM |
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Toxic SubstancesToxic exposures from Rocketdyne facility continue to cause concern. Radioactive release causes excess cancer deaths. A scientific panel released its long awaited report on Thursday, concluding that the 1959 nuclear reactor meltdown at the Rocketdyne facility was responsible for hundreds of excess cancer deaths. For almost fifty years, the Rocketdyne Santa Susana Field Lab conducted its nuclear...
- Paul Kiesel | October 08, 2006 7:11 PM |
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MiscellaneousAutomobile excess or umbrella coverage is important to have when you're in an auto accident or involved in a car crash.In keeping with my insurance theme of two weeks ago, I want to urge you to consider purchasing an excess insurance policy, also known as an "umbrella" policy. Here's how these policies work: Let's assume your underlying liability insurance policy for any auto accident is...
- Cheryl Buchanan | October 08, 2006 1:37 AM |
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MiscellaneousA recent lawsuit naming both Cardinal Mahony of Los Angeles and Cardinal Rivera of Mexico has brought new attention to the international connections in the global Catholic Church priest pedophilia crisis. Although the September filed lawsuit out of Mexico names Fr. Nicholas Aguilar-Rivera, the story is similar to Fr. Cristobal Garcia (who went back to the Phillipines) and Fr. Efrain Rozo Rincon...
- Michael Eyerly | October 06, 2006 10:18 PM |
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MiscellaneousOn July 13, 1959 fuel rods in a nuclear reactor located at Rocketdyne's Santa Susana Field Laboratory melted down, releasing radioactive gases into the atmosphere. It was, perhaps, the single largest accidental release of radioactive emissions in this county, and very few people knew of it until 1979. That is because Rocketdyne, and its parent company Boeing Co., kept the nuclear accident a...
- Elaine Mandel | October 03, 2006 5:26 PM |
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MiscellaneousThe amount a victims of medical malpractice can be awarded is limited by law in many states, including California and Louisiana. In those two states, victims' recoveries for pain and suffering were set over two decades ago. But this may be changing.In many states there are limits, or "caps," on what victims of medical malpractice can recover when they sue the doctors or hospitals that caused...
- Helen Zukin | October 02, 2006 3:00 AM |
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Wrongful DeathGroundwater contamination is a serious health threat to the public. Toxic substances in our drinking water pose dangers to our population.Throughout the U.S. groundwater is increasingly becoming contaminated with a variety of toxic substances; ranging from radioactive tritium to trichloroethylene (TCE); to name just a few. The underground aquifers which supply so much of our nations water have...
- Paul Kiesel | October 01, 2006 3:28 PM |
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Defective & Dangerous ProductsGerman drug manufacturer Bayer failed to notify the FDA of increase risks of death, serious kidney damage, congestive heart failure and strokes associated with taking the drug Trasylol.In yet another example of the Pharmaceutical industry's failure to provide complete information, Bayer acknowledged, this week, it "mistakenly" failed to notify the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) about...
- Cheryl Buchanan | October 01, 2006 1:47 AM |
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Miscellaneous"In a letter sent to Lionsgate, the organization said 'the content is adult in nature, with overt comments about child molestation throughout.' The MPAA declined to elaborate on the specifics of the decision". -CNN.com 9/21/06 In an era where what is acceptable in mainstream entertainment continues to shock and amaze, it is interesting to see where the Motion Picture Association of America...