With fewer and fewer public places to light up, don’t you wonder about those poor souls still huddled outside in frigid weather, dragging on a cigarette? Well, if they haven’t kicked the habit yet, Big Tobacco is making it more difficult to do just that, according to a study just released by Harvard.
Everyone knows that the hotel industry battles to keep the towels from leaving with the guests. But what about hospitals giving away towels without charge?
Bonnie Valle had surgery for emphysema at the Cleveland Clinic in 1995. Her daughter, Jeanne Clark, claimed that her mother always felt that something was left in her left side during the procedure, that she felt something “move” and complained about the discomfort. Sadly, Mrs. Valle died in 2002 at age 60. She donated her body to the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in Rootstown, where a dissection revealed a green surgical cloth the size of a large hand towel in her left lung.
Just before the end of the last session, the 109th Congress passed legislation to lift the longstanding ban against veterans being able to hire lawyers to appeal their benefits cases. The change was advocated by both the Governmental Affairs Office and the American Bar Association.
Contrary to the oft repeated mantra that jury verdicts continue to escalate out of control, the nation's largest verdicts to individual plaintiffs have fallen dramatically for the second consecutive year. For the top ten jury verdicts awarded to individual plaintiffs, this past year's total is one third of the total for the previous year, which was half the total of the year before.
Last winter a record 58.9 million skiers and snowboarders hit the nation’s slopes. This season, Colorado resorts are on a pace to break last winter's record of 12.53 million skier visits, with 6.74 percent more in the first part of the season than the same period last year, the industry recently reported. The resorts had nearly 3.3 million skier visits from October through December 2006, up 207,533 when compared to the same period in 2005.
While the mountains have less snow than last year's near-record, TV coverage of snow-covered Denver has well-publicized the great skiing conditions. And Colorado resorts have benefited from the lack of snow suffered in the East and most of Europe.
Two backcountry avalanche accidents last month, including one resulting in a fatality, and one massive slide which closed a Colorado highway, are early-season reminders of the threat of high country avalanches. And with more snow coming, backcountry enthusiasts need to tread, or slide as the case may be, cautiously. For those enjoying Colorado’s beautiful snow-covered Rockies, a visit to CAIC before visiting the out of bounds slopes is essential.
The death of a disabled Viet Nam veteran the week of Christmas in a Denver house fire illustrates the danger of house fires in the winter. Though the cause of this fire is unknown, the high cost of home heating fuels and utilities have caused many Americans to search for alternate sources of home heating. Particularly in Colorado, where a stretch of artic weather has set in, the use of wood burning stoves is growing and space heaters are selling rapidly, or coming out of storage. Fireplaces are burning wood and man made logs. All these methods of heating may be acceptable. They are however, a major contributing factor in residential fires. Many of these fires can be prevented.
Jack Cline is dying of leukemia that he says he got from exposure to benzene at his factory job. In most states, he would be able to sue the companies that made the benzene and let a jury decide if the company is responsible. But Alabama’s all-Republican, wildly pro-business Supreme Court threw out his case.
USA TODAY is promoting a “patient safety page” which is intended to help readers find patient advocacy advice when they suspect medical malpractice has occurred. Experts estimate that medical errors claim about 98,000 Americans a year, more than 250 lives each day.
Imagine a Capitol Hill staffer having a steamy affair with a congressional aide, probably not such an unusual occurrence. But then the aide posts lurid details of the intimate aspects of the relationship on her personal blog. Staffer boyfriend is embarrassed and outraged!
Looking forward to having a few friends over for the Big Game on February 4th? If you are hosting a party anytime, you should consider how to best protect your guests and yourself.
