Jelly Belly French Vanilla – the New SSRI?

April 7th, 2010. By AbiK

I just took the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS or HAM-D) test. Yes, I administered it to myself, which is not really legit. And I was popping jelly beans (full disclosure: Jelly Belly original mix that wasn’t comped) in my mouth while clicking thru the answers. I scored a three. Which, apparently is within the “normal” range—or as I’m made aware of by my test source (Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry) “in clinical remission” had I been previously and officially depressed. For comparison, a score of 8-13 is “mild depression”; 14-18 is “moderate depression”; 19-22 is “severe depression” and a score of 23 or more is “very severe depression”.

Did I mention I was popping jelly beans? aka mommy’s little sugar pills?

So who knows—maybe I was just on a sugar rush and otherwise would’ve scored a four. Be that as it may, it got me thinking.

See, I took the test—and popped the J-beans—while reading an article, “The Serotonin Skeptic” by Carlin Flora Read the rest of this entry »

Enough with the Breastfeeding Bandwagon

April 6th, 2010. By AbiK

A news article in today’s NY Daily News has this for a headline:

“Breastfeeding could save many babies’ lives, billions of dollars: Pediatrics Journal”

Fine. Those of us who’ve been pregnant at some point in the last few decades would need to have lived in a cave on Mars to have missed the “Breastfeeding is good for your baby!” memo.

And so, yes, here we have another study that’s been done to tout breast milk.

Translation: another study to lend more ammunition to those who would like to see formula feeding labeled as a punishable crime.

I stress here that I agree that breast-feeding is beneficial to babies—I don’t argue that.

But as I had posted about breastfeeding and Reglan, it’s the guilt-trip that those who deem themselves as the arbiters of baby’s health and well-being impose upon moms-to-be and moms who are just hours post-delivery.

This barrage of breast milk goodliness, while well-intentioned, sends mothers—many of whom simply cannot breast feed when left to their own bodily devices—into a state of panic: I’m not lactating…am I producing enough?…how do I know if baby is getting enough nutrition?…

And they turn to drugs—like off-label Reglan—and homeopathy, massage techniques, pumps—you name it Read the rest of this entry »

Got a Gas-Powered Lawn Mower? There’s a Class Action Settlement…

April 6th, 2010. By AbiK

UPDATE 1 (4/8/10): Editor’s Note – A number of you have had difficulty in going to the LawnMowerClass.com site; click on this link and you should get to the correct page.

UPDATE 2 (4/9/10): For those of you who are having difficulty identifying the ID numbers, the information can be found here for each brand, model or make of lawnmower involved. Please do not submit a claim form to LawyersAndSettlements.com–we are not the claims administrator; you need to go to the website above to submit your claim.

As you’re out there getting the lawn ready for another summer season, take a look at your gas-powered lawn mower. You may be a part of the Lawnmower Class Action.

Yes, there is such a thing and we reported on the lawsuit when it was first filed. And a notice of proposed settlement just landed in my mailbox today.

Here’s what you need to know…

If you purchased a gasoline-powered lawn mower with an engine up to 30 horsepower for your own use between January 1, 1994 and April 12, 2010—yes, the class period is like sixteen years—then you may be eligible to submit a claim for up to $35 for a walk-behind mower or $75 for a riding mower. You may also receive extended warranty benefits.

Note—the lawn mower class action lawsuit is not about lawn mower safety. At issue is that the plaintiff claimed the defendants—American Honda Motor Co. Inc., MTD Products, Sears Roebuck  & Co., Sears Holding Corp., Kmart Holding Corp., Deere & Company, Tecumseh Products, TecumsehPower Co, Platinum Equity LLC, Briggs & Stratton Corp., Kawasaki Read the rest of this entry »

The Rat in my Beer Lawsuit and other Tortelicious Gems

April 6th, 2010. By LucyC

Welcome to Totally Tortelicious—a review of some of the more bizarre legal stories making news. Goodness knows there’s no shortage of them.  

Sabor Con Caracter…and then some: What would you do if you opened a bottle of beer and found a rat’s head floating around inside? A firefighter in Texas, who media reports describe as “A retired, litigious Texas firefighter,” decided to sue the makers of the beer. 

Everett Johnston reportedly found a rat’s head in a bottle of Tecate Light (not light enough for the rat, apparently), which has caused him such severe psychological trauma—two years out mind you—that he is now unable to look after his elderly father (maybe his father should count his blessings…). 

Johnston wants a cool $1 million for his pain and suffering. Are you kidding me? How on earth did this guy make into the fire department in the first place?

And—of greater wonder—how on earth did a rat’s head manage to fit through a roughly 20mm wide hole to get into the bottle of beer in the first place? We’ve all heard stories of mice and rats navigating through tight Read the rest of this entry »

Asbestos News Roundup: 4.1.10

April 1st, 2010. By LucyC

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

Asbestos Lawsuits

Susan Olsen has re-filed the asbestos lawsuit her and her now deceased husband, Merlin Olsen—star of Little House on the Prairie—had submitted while he was still alive. The original suit had named 38 defendants alleging they had exposed Merlin to asbestos and were negligent in so doing. Susan Olsen’s new suit also names executives at NBC Studios and 20th Century Fox Film Corp., as well as paint manufacturers Sherwin-Williams. (TMZ.com) 

St. Clair Co., IL: St. Clair County in Illinois saw five more asbestos lawsuits filed at the end of March. Among them is a complaint by Mr. Raleigh Yarberough, who worked as a seaman in the U.S. Navy from 1956 until 1960 and then as a service worker at Gross Air Heating and Cooling from 1960 until 1969. He also worked as a machine operator at Service Heel Company from 1971 to 1975 and as a carpenter and mill operator in 1976.

Mr. Yarberough’s complaint names 26 defendant companies which contributed to his developing asbestos-related lung cancer, because he handled asbestos-containing products while working for them.

Another of the five suits was filed by Charles Graham on behalf of his father, Richard Graham, who was diagnosed with asbestos mesothelioma in November 2006, and subsequently died in January, 2007. His suit names nine Read the rest of this entry »