Rational Review » PND News

DC: Transit thugs to begin random searches

Steve Trinward — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:59:35 +0000

“Riders on the Washington metro system were warned Thursday to expect random checks of carry-on items two days after the government disclosed the arrest of an Afghan man for allegedly threatening to bomb the system. The stepped-up security [sic] measures at the height of the Christmas shopping season also coincided with a warning by Interpol that it had received information about possible Al-Qaeda attacks in the United States and Europe.” (12/16/10)

Tax deal: Estate tax is new sticking point

Steve Trinward — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:58:39 +0000

“An $858 billion package to cut taxes and help the long-term unemployed was unexpectedly pulled from the House Thursday, suggesting that Democratic leaders underestimated the depth of opposition to the bill as well as the possibility that House members could amend it. The development means Democratic leadership will have to work behind the scenes to shore up support for the package before bringing it back to the floor — a process that could take anywhere for a few hours to a few days, if possible.” (12/16/10)

MA: Health Council bottles, cups with BPA

Steve Trinward — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:57:46 +0000

“The Massachusetts Public Health Council voted unanimously yesterday to ban the sale and manufacture of baby bottles and sipping cups containing the chemical BPA, but turned aside a push by environmental activists for more sweeping restrictions on use of the chemical linked to possible health risks in children. Bisphenol A is used in a wide variety of products, including plastic bottles, children’s sipping cups, and the lining of canned food containers. Children and adults can ingest tiny amounts of BPA when they drink or eat from the containers, and studies of laboratory animals have suggested that the chemical could cause developmental problems for children if they are exposed to small quantities early in life.” (12/16/10)

CDCP report: Food sickens 48 million each year

Steve Trinward — Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:56:50 +0000

“One in six Americans every year gets sick from food, and about 3,000 people die from those illnesses, according to new data released yesterday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. … The numbers mark the first time the federal government has updated the estimates for foodborne illnesses since 1999, when a landmark study known as the Mead report offered a rough calculation of the extent of food poisoning in the United States.” (12/16/10)

FL: ObamaCare battleground shifts to courtroom

Steve Trinward — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:51:49 +0000

“The escalating legal battle over the constitutionality of President Obama’s health-care reform law moves Thursday to Florida and to a federal judge who has already expressed skepticism about the statute. In October, US District Judge Roger Vinson dismissed four of six counts in the Florida-based lawsuit challenging the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. But in upholding two other counts, the judge appeared receptive to arguments questioning the constitutional validity of the health-care law.” (12/15/10)

MA: Smoker’s suit wins $71 million award

Steve Trinward — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:50:49 +0000

“In a groundbreaking decision, a Suffolk Superior Court jury yesterday found a tobacco company liable for the death of a Roxbury woman who said that, at age 9, she received free samples of Newport cigarettes in a targeted marketing campaign. The jury awarded a judgment of $50 million to the estate of Marie Evans, who, before she died of lung cancer in 2002, testified that she first received free Newports as a child, while living in the Orchard Park housing development in Boston. She smoked until her death at age 54. Her only son was awarded $21 million. Lorillard, which denied it targeted youth with free cigarettes, plans to appeal.” (12/15/10)

Survey: Marijuana use still rising among US school kids

Steve Trinward — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:49:06 +0000

“Marijuana use continues to increase among young people in the United States, according to an annual survey of drug, alcohol, and cigarette use among US youths…. Because cigarette smoking has been declining among high school seniors, marijuana is more popular than cigarettes by some measures.” [editor’s note: Strong decline in use of a known carcinogen, to which millions are addicted; slight increases in those trying “wacky weed” (which to this date has still not been conclusively proven to harm anyone in the least) — please explain the problem! - SAT] (12/15/10)

Dannon settles complaints over yogurt ads

Steve Trinward — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:45:34 +0000

“The U.S. unit of French food giant Danone S.A. agreed to settle state and federal investigations into alleged false advertising about the health benefits of its Activia yogurt and DanActive dairy drinks for $21 million, federal officials announced Wednesday. The Federal Trade Commission said Dannon, a unit of French food and bottled waters company Danone, will drop claims that its Activia yogurt and dairy products will help prevent colds or alleviate digestive problems. The company wasn’t immediately available for comment.” [editor’s note: Umm … I learned years ago that one of the best ways to reverse acid reflux tendencies is to eat a little yogurt now and then; Dannon’s just using common wisdom as an ad-gimmick - SAT] (12/15/10)

House targets DADT law with own bill

Steve Trinward — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 03:43:40 +0000

“The House introduced a bill yesterday that would overturn the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy on gays, a move intended to pressure the Senate to delay its holiday adjournment plans and take up its own repeal bill. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, Democrat of Maryland, and Representative Patrick Murphy, a Democrat of Pennsylvania and a veteran of the Iraq War, cosponsored the bill, and a vote was expected as early as today.” [editor’s note: Sometimes I just wonder if Congress passed a secret “don’t think, don’t have a clue” bill without telling us - SAT ] (12/15/10)

US House passes “don’t ask, don’t tell” repeal

Thomas L. Knapp — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 00:40:37 +0000

“The House has easily passed a bill to repeal the policy known as ‘don’t ask, don’t tell.’ The vote was aimed at sending a message to the Senate, where efforts to repeal have been blocked by Republicans. The final House vote was 250-175, primarily along party lines. There were 15 Republicans who joined 235 Democrats to support the measure.” (12/15/10)

Moore offers his servers to host WikiLeaks docs

Steve Trinward — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:59:26 +0000

“If Amazon.com won’t host leaked diplomatic cables posted by the website WikiLeaks, Michael Moore will. The liberal filmmaker and author announced in a web posting Tuesday that he had donated $20,000 to the cause of Julian Assange, WikiLeaks’ embattled chief who is being held in the United Kingdom on sexual offense charges and is seeking to be released on bail. ‘I support Julian, whom I see as a pioneer of free speech, transparent government and the digital revolution in journalism. His commitment to exposing the follies of government and business offers the greater society a chance to protect itself from these follies,’ Moore wrote in a web posting Tuesday.” (12/14/10)

Lawsuits: The newest investment scam?

Steve Trinward — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:58:13 +0000

“Some call it a disturbing trend Others call it a win-win for accident victims and low to middle-income families across America who might not otherwise be able to afford to seek justice in a court of law. The issue is legal lending; to plaintiffs who don’t have the money to pay for surgery related to a claim or pay their bills while their case is tied up in court, or to law firms who can’t afford to hire expensive experts or survive a lengthy drawn-out battle with a corporate giant. Supporters say more legitimate cases are now being heard and that means more little guys are now getting an opportunity for justice. Critics say this practice leads to an increase in frivolous cases that clog courtrooms.” (12/14/10)

TX: Firearms seized in Mexican drug wars traced to US

Steve Trinward — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:56:50 +0000

“No other state has produced more guns seized by police in the brutal Mexican drug wars than Texas. In the Lone Star State, no other city has more guns linked to Mexican crime scenes than Houston. And in that Texas oil town, no single independent dealer stands out more for selling guns traced from south of the border than Bill Carter. Carter, 76, has operated four Carter’s Country stores in the Houston metropolitan area over the past half-century. In the past two years, more than 115 guns from his stores have been seized by the police and military in Mexico.” (12/14/10)

CT: Suits ask military to release rape files

Steve Trinward — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:55:12 +0000

“Sexual assault pervades the military, but the Pentagon refuses to release records that fully document the problem and how it is handled, the American Civil Liberties Union and other groups said in a federal lawsuit that seeks access to the records. Tens of thousands of service members have reported some form of sexual assault, harassment, or trauma in the past decade, according to the lawsuit filed yesterday in New Haven against the departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs.” (12/14/10)

MA: Nonprofit’s political ad may have violated tax law

Steve Trinward — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:53:53 +0000

“The Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, the nonprofit group that has spearheaded opposition to the nation’s first offshore wind farm for nearly a decade, may have breached federal tax law by airing a radio ad critical of Governor Deval Patrick in the final days of the governor’s race, according to a Globe review of the Internal Revenue Service code and agency guidelines. The ad, which aired on five stations covering Greater Boston, the South Shore, and the Worcester area, criticized Patrick for supporting the Cape Wind energy proposal while noting that ‘the other candidates for governor’ opposed the project.” (12/14/10)

Census: Segregation at 100-year lows in most American cities

Steve Trinward — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 04:52:06 +0000

“A drive through Atlanta’s older ‘intown’ residential areas quickly bears out new Census findings: That segregation by race in the US is fading in many, though far from all, American neighborhoods. Atlanta is one of several predominantly Southern and Western cities that showed a noticeable integration trend over the last five years as both middle-class blacks and whites moved into each other’s neighborhoods, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey of 10 million Americans, released Tuesday. The ACS is the largest demographic survey ever done in the United States.” (12/14/10)

Assange tops “Person of the Year” reader poll

Steve Trinward — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 05:47:50 +0000

“The man behind WikiLeaks has won the most votes in this year’s Person of the Year poll. Readers voted a total of 1,249,425 times, and the favorite was clear. Julian Assange raked in 382,020 votes, giving him an easy first place. He was 148,383 votes over the silver medalist, Recep Tayyip Ergodan, Prime Minister of Turkey. But Assange wasn’t the winner in all aspects — Lady Gaga trounced him on Facebook, receiving 65,417 ‘likes’ on Facebook to Assange’s 45,643.” (12/113/10)

Mexico: Peace march turns to drug kingpin rally

Steve Trinward — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:23:10 +0000

“A peace march called by local authorities in western Mexico turned into a show of support for a slain drug lord Sunday, with adults and children carrying signs lauding the capo known for handing out Bibles to the poor. Hundreds of people turned out for the march in Apatzingan, the birth place of La Familia cartel leader Nazario Moreno, who was known as ‘the Craziest One’ and reputedly indoctrinated his gang members in pseudo-Christian ideology. The government says Moreno was killed in Apatzingan on Thursday in a shootout with federal police.” (12/13/10)

TN: Mayor pans immigration legislation

Steve Trinward — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:21:34 +0000

“Mayor Karl Dean asked Tennessee lawmakers Monday not to approve immigration-related legislation that could hurt the city’s economic development efforts. ‘I’m asking them, as the mayor of Nashville, not to do anything that will put our city and our state at a competitive disadvantage,’ Dean said in a speech to the Rotary Club of Nashville. … ‘Our hospitality industry and the success of our colleges and universities depend upon it. We need to be serious right now about jobs and prosperity and education, and we can’t do that if we tie our hands by creating a global reputation as an unwelcoming, unfriendly state.’” (12/13/10)

SCOTUS inactive on lawyer ad curbs

Steve Trinward — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 04:20:34 +0000

“Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a … lawyer. The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to take up the thorny issue of how far lawyers may go when seeking to attract clients through whimsical and gimmicky advertising. The action lets stand a ruling by a federal appeals court invalidating a portion of New York’s rules of professional conduct mandating how law firms in the state are to behave while advertising for new clients. The rules, adopted in 2006, had prohibited the use of nicknames, trade names, and marketing slogans that might imply an unproved ability to win cases. The rules also barred use of marketing gimmicks and other attention-grabbing techniques that do not contain objective information about legal services.” (12/13/10)