JetBlue’s Steven Slater: Working Class Hero or Psycho?

August 13th, 2010. By janem

JetBlue flight attendant Steven Slater is getting his 15 minutes of fame and then some, for going ballistic on passengers, grabbing a few beers from the galley (coming to a beer commercial soon) before sliding down an emergency chute, making his escape and  later arrested. He has become a folk hero for many people and he’s the latest media darling. But what do those JetBlue passengers think of Slater? If airline staff yelled expletives at me I would be upset, to say the least. And I might want to sue the airline for emotional pain and suffering.

Marjorie Briskin, age 53, said that Slater was rude to a passenger over a luggage issue, and thought his behavior was totally inappropriate. Another passenger said Slater was also rude to her when she complained about a coffee stain on her seat—on the other hand, I might fly into a rage if I were told to whip out the spot remover and clean the Queen of Sheba’s seat while trying to deal with a few hundred people fighting for overhead luggage space. So is Mr. Slater a Working Class Hero or Psycho?

Slater has been charged with criminal mischief and reckless endangerment. He most Read the rest of this entry »

NWF Top 10 Pipeline Accident States

August 13th, 2010. By AbiK

An interesting tidbit from the National Wildlife Federation’s (NWF) report, Assault on America: A Decade of Petroleum Company Disaster, Pollution and Profit (released July, 2010) is their chart that depicts the top ten US states for pipeline accidents, 2000-2009.

While it’s natural to think that Texas—often synonymous with big oil—tops the chart (it does) for “significant incidents”, what’s more surprising are the states with the most fatalities associated with pipeline accidents.

Here’s the list of 2000-2009 Onshore Pipeline Accidents, sorted by “Significant Incidents”—apparently defined as those  where injury or fatality occurred or property damage was greater than or equal to $50,000 in 1984 dollars:

Texas                     523

Louisiana               223

California               177

Kansas                   117

Illinois                    115

Pennsylvania         114

Oklahoma              113

Ohio                       74

Michigan                 61

New Mexico            58

Now, if you resort the same list and look at fatalities, here’s what you’ll find:

Texas                     15

New Mexico           15

Pennsylvania         10

California                9

Louisiana                6

Ohio                       6

Michigan                 5

Kansas                   3

Oklahoma               3

Illinois                     2

For the record, if you look at total US—i.e., not just the top ten states listed above–Onshore significant incidents, the numbers go like this: 2,554 significant incidents, 161 fatalities, and 576 injuries.

If you want to add in total US Offshore incidents from 2001-2007—so remember, this data predates the BP oil spill, there were 1,443 incidents resulting in 41 fatalites, 302 injuries, 476 fires, nd 356 pollution events.

Asbestos News Roundup: 8.12.10

August 12th, 2010. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Madison County, IL: Norvel and Dorothy Arnold of Texas have filed an asbestos claim alleging that Norvel Arnold developed mesothelioma after his work as a laborer on his family’s farm from 1950 until 1953, as a laborer in the U.S. Army from 1953 until 1955, as a laborer at a boatyard in 1955, as a laborer at an airbase in 1956, as a laborer at HJ Heinz Cannery from 1956 until 1957, as a laborer at a dairy from 1957 until 1959, as an equipment operator at a grain elevator from 1960 until 1973 and as an equipment operator for the county from 1973 until 1993. 

Richard C. Dwight of South Carolina, also filed a suit claiming that he developed mesothelioma resulting from exposure to asbestos while he was a member of the U.S. Air Force from 1953 until 1955, a laborer at DuPont from 1955 until 1968 and a seller and servicer of filters and filter systems for Carolina Filters from 1968 until 1988. 

A couple from Missouri, James F. and Mary Joan Hensley have filed an asbestos mesothelioma lawsuit alleging that James developed mesothelioma after his work as a home remodeler, home rebuilder, roofer, tiler, drywaller and electrician from 1950 until 1979, as a shadetree mechanic from 1949 until 2009, as a demolition man from 1950 until 1955, as a laborer at a processing plant from 1955 until 1957, as a laborer for Pipeline Inc. from 1957 until 1961, as an interior designer from 1961 until 1970 and as a worker for Beckman Construction Company from 1970 until his retirement. (Madisonrecord.com) 

Asbestos Hot Spots

Hollister, MO: Students at Hollister Junior High will be starting their new school year in temporary classrooms after a flood resulting from a burst pipe revealed asbestos in the floor tiling.

School Superintendent Tim Taylor said the leak sent about two inches of water throughout Read the rest of this entry »

The Latest Botox Buzz: ‘Teen Toxing’

August 12th, 2010. By Hunter West

Am I missing something here? 

The last time I checked, cosmetic Botox was approved for wrinkles in the brow between the eyes. 

That’s it. Oh, there are other approved medical uses for Botox—therapeutically in children as young as 12 with abnormal twitching of the eyelid or crossed eyes. It can also help patients 16 and older with involuntary contraction of neck muscles, and by people 18 and up to combat excessive sweating..

However, cosmetically Botox has an extremely limited footprint (or face print, if you will) according to the original approval for cosmetic purposes by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 

Does that surprise you? 

Little wonders that it does, given the astounding degree to which Botox is used off-label cosmetically. 

It’s outrageous. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, outline toxin—which is Read the rest of this entry »

Bought Drywall at Lowe’s? There’s a Settlement…

August 11th, 2010. By LucyC

A rather big announcement this week for people who purchased sulfur contaminated drywall from Lowes, the do-it-yourself (DIY) home building supplies retailer. They have agreed to pay the equivalent of $6.5 million in gift cards, to end a class action lawsuit that claimed they sold defective drywall. 

So if you bought defective drywall—i.e. sulfur laden drywall—Chinese drywall—you know the stuff—at Lowes, you could be eligible for a gift card. FYI—there doesn’t appear to be any information on how much the gift cards will be for. 

The settlement agreement, interestingly, didn’t specify where Lowe’s obtained their defective drywall, but in a report by the Wall Street Journal, a company spokesperson is quoted as follows “Lowe’s has been assured by vendors who provided stock drywall for sales in our stores that drywall they provided was not imported from China. But the settlement includes claims of all types of allegedly defective drywall people claim to have purchased from Lowe’s.” 

I don’t know if it’s just me but $6.5 million seems a rather paltry amount, considering the damage inflicted on tens of thousands of unsuspecting homeowners. Although it is larger than the settlement awarded in the first Chinese drywall trial brought by Lisa and Armin Seifart. More on that in a minute. 

According to the Homeowners Consumer Center in Washington, D.C, Chinese drywall has Read the rest of this entry »