Coolest Gadget to Protect Kids from Cell Phone Radiation

June 29th, 2011. By AbiK

You cannot beat this one for its coolness. It’s retro, it’s comfortable to hold, it’s available in a rainbow of colors, and it’s relatively cheap ($29.99 at Amazon.com). And hell, Lenny Kravitz has been spotted using one on the street. In black, in case you’re wondering.

Ahh, but there’s more. The POP Phone—officially, the Native Union Moshi Moshi Pop Phone—has another benefit: it makes it possible to pull a cell phone away from your ear (and that cerebral mass that’s housed just behind the ear) thereby also pulling away that fearsome cell phone radiation that everyone’s been talking about. After all, that’s the greatest beef about cell phone radiation—that the need to hold a cell phone directly against your head doesn’t leave mush travel time or distance for those radiation waves to traverse they skip over to your brain.

Not that there haven’t been alternatives to the POP Phone—and the POP Phone’s been around for awhile, too. But tech gadgets like a Bluetooth earpiece must seem so”oh dad uses that in the car for work” and, therefore, the height of it’s-just-not-cool. Of course, an earpiece or earbuds do allow for that hands-free experience—but in my experience with kids, hands-free means their hands are somewhere else…

Like a steering wheel, and I’d rather my kids have their hands on some bigger, bulkier contraption that might force them to shut-up and drive vs. thinking they’re the kings of multi-tasking behind the wheel. Kids + distraction typically yields not much good—and until we have more stringent laws banning the use of cell phones, smart phones, and any other mobile device that encourages distracted driving, I’m all for phone calls that are more of a pain in the a$$ to make in the car.

Detractors of the POP phone tend to site the “where do you put it?” conundrum—as in, when you’ve ended the phone call. Used to be you’d “hang up the phone”, only there’s no place to hang. I have no doubt that between kids’ ingenuity and a few hot designers from Target, that problem won’t be a problem for long.

Attorney Holly Baer Kammerer: It’s about Helping Others

June 28th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with attorney Holly Baer Kammerer of Burg Simpson…

Attorney Holly Baer Kammerer: “Some people might believe ‘lawyers are in it for the money’, but it’s certainly not the case in our firm.”

A skilled attorney and mother of three boys, Holly Baer Kammerer never loses sight of why practicing law is important to her. A personal injury attorney with the well-known firm of Burg Simpson, Kammerer has come to the rescue of families in crisis, injured children, children with disabilities and recently she’s become involved in representing women harmed by the controversial birth control pill, Yaz. 

“I became a lawyer to help people through a process—for a lot of people, personal injury litigation is a very difficult process and it can be very confusing,” says Kammerer. “It can take time and it is coupled with the fact that clients often have serious injuries and they are in pain and that can magnify the difficulty.” 

Kammerer considers she is fortunate to be part of a firm that puts an emphasis on practicing law to the highest moral and ethical standards. Although like everyone else in our society, lawyers have to be compensated for the work they do, the money is secondary. “Some people might believe ‘lawyers are in it for the money’, but it’s certainly not the case in our firm. I believe we are in it for the right reasons and we believe in giving back to the community.” 

Burg Simpson has given millions of dollars to community organizations in the Denver area over the last two decades. Some of it has gone to the Denver Symphony, some to the Craig Hospital that specializes in the treatment of spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury patients—and other recipients include multiple charitable causes that make up a long list of ongoing projects. 

Kammerer spends many of her off hours helping low income families access early childhood education as the Vice President/President Elect for the Wild Plum Center in the Longmont and Boulder County area. “There are many children in the area from families that live below the national poverty level,” says Kammerer. “Many of the kids have a combination of issues and I am interested in that and focused on that. My oldest son has a genetic disability and early intervention in his preschool years was extremely important and I certainly know how important that is.” 

Members of the Burg Simpson team recently agreed to put themselves out there in a t.v. commercial to raise money for worthwhile projects. “I thought, I am a lawyer,” Kammerer says with a soft laugh. “I don’t want to do commercials, but it does help raise money and that helps our community.” 

It is late in the day as Kammerer talks about the business of being a lawyer and she is finishing up some work at home as her three boys return from school. “It is true it goes deeper. I love being a lawyer and helping people and if I wasn’t able to help people and be involved in charitable work, I guess I would be happy to be at home with my boys.” 

Holly Baer Kammerer is a shareholder in the law firm of Burg Simpson and has been a practicing lawyer for 19 years. Her career began in Washington D.C. and she joined Burg Simpson in Denver in 1996. She has recovered millions of dollars for her clients including a $2.5 million personal injury verdict in US District Court for the District of Colorado. Kammerer also volunteers with children in the St. Vrain Valley School District and she volunteers on behalf of children with disabilities, specifically in education and research regarding Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome (VCFS).

Stanley Cup Riot Lawsuit: For First Time, Blenz Coffee is Bitter

June 28th, 2011. By AbiK

And rightfully so.

No sooner had the Vancouver Canucks blown game 7 of the Stanley Cup when, as everyone knows, a group of Canadian fans became a wild mob trashing cars, flipping over port-a-potties and vandalizing whatever they could. As if having sh*t strewn all over the streets and a bonfire of bucket seats and quarter panels would somehow either return the Stanley Cup to its non-rightful owners or avenge the loss. Please.

One target of the vandals was Blenz Coffee. And, I should say, not just one Blenz Coffee location, but three of them.

According to a press release from Blenz (6/23/11), the worst of the damage occured at their West Georgia and Richards location—the store was “completely demolished and looted.”

Enough, perhaps, to leave one a bit bitter. Bitter enough to file a lawsuit. Which Blenz has done.

Blenz Coffee has become a bit of an iconic underdog in Vancouver it would seem. Their 30 locations (with one new one on Abbott St) have been a mainstay in Vancouver since Blenz opened its first store in 1992 on Robson St. The very fact that it’s thrived in the face—or in the shadows—of Starbucks’ 123 Vancouver locations says something. Starbucks is all US. Blenz is all Canadian. It should be a source of pride, not to mention coffee that’s “never burnt, never bitter”.

I’m sure  for Blenz, which filed the riot lawsuit in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, they felt rather betwixt and between about the whole mess. Just as their patrons, they are Vancouverites. And undoubtedly Canucks fans. Filing the lawsuit must feel like it borders on betrayal—both coming and going. On the one hand, Blenz must feel betrayed by fans who’ve most certainly had a Blenz latte macchiato (well, at least perhaps a regular coffee); and on the flip side, Blenz having little option but to reciprocate that betrayal by filing a lawsuit against those locals who damaged their stores.

And it’s not just property damage and theft here. The vandals at one Blenz location trapped the franchisee, two staff members and a customer in a back room and “terrorized” them for over two hours. Why pray tell? All because some guys on skates couldn’t get a five and a half ounce blob of vulcanized rubber into a net more times than their opponent? (and for the record, I’m not a Bruins fan—if it’s not the Rangers, Islanders or Devils, I could give a crap). Oh, but wait, I clearly don’t understand that this is NHL Hockey we’re talking about here…

The betwixt and between nature of this is clear by the very fact that Blenz is hopeful that the few perpetrators who wrecked their stores will come forward, ahead of the riot lawsuit to rightfully take responsibility and rectify things. It’s a gift to the vandals, quite frankly, to redeem themselves and do the right thing. (Note to perp defendants, see our section on Criminal Law for outline of possible punishments.)

And, should they not do so, have no fear, Blenz has “extensive video and still picture evidence” of all the goings-on that fateful night. Not to mention the number of smart phone camera clicks taken at the scenes that night along with Facebook and Flickr posts, realtime tweets and eyewitness tips coming into police and/or the company. Translation? If you thought you’d just sleaze by under the radar on this one, good luck…your riot lawsuit awaits.

According to the Toronto Sun, estimates put the damage of the Stanley Cup rioting in Vancouver at about CA$5 million (just over $5 million US), with about 60 businesses affected by the damage and looting. The president of Blenz Coffee, George Moen, has told QMI Agency the company is claiming civil damages for property vandalism and theft along with punitive, aggravated and exemplary damages, and special costs. According to the report, Moen put the damage to the Blenz stores at “hundreds of thousands of dollars”.

All that, and the Cup still stands in Boston.

Asbestos News Roundup: 6.23.11

June 23rd, 2011. By LucyC

A roundup of recent asbestos-related news and information that you should be aware of. An ongoing list of asbestos hot spots from the Asbestos News Roundup archive appears on our asbestos map.

Asbestos Lawsuits

Charleston, WV: A couple from Zelienople, PA have filed an asbestos lawsuit naming 103 companies as defendants. The Pandocchis claim in their lawsuit that the defendants are responsible for Jeffrey Pandocchi’s asbestosis diagnosis.

Mr. Pandocchi was diagnosed with asbestosis in December, 2009. In his lawsuit he alleges he was exposed to asbestos and asbestos products during the course of his employment with the defendants, and that the defendants failed to warn him of the asbestos-containing products and failed to warn him of the harm the products could do.

Mr. Pandocchi further claims the defendants failed to recommend methods to improve the work environment and failed to develop alternative products that did not contain asbestos.

The asbestos lawsuit alleges that the 103 defendants “continued to use a known cancer-causing product.”

Mr. Pandocchi and his wife, Kathryn Pandocchi, are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

The 103 defendants named in the suit are: A.O. Smith Corporation; Ajax Magnethermic Corporation; Allegheny Energy, Inc., F/K/A Allegheny Power; Allied Glove Corporation; American Electric Power Company, Inc.; American Optical Corporation; Appalachian Power Company; Aqua- Read the rest of this entry »

Forced Drugging of Kids Needs to Stop

June 23rd, 2011. By AbiK

 

Sometimes a child’s voice can be the voice of sanity and the impetus for change in the fight against a seemingly overwhelming foe. In this case, the foe is the mandated psychiatric drugging of our children with any of a number of drugs—Ritalin, Adderall, Risperdal to name a few. And the child, is a high school senior whose comment I came across on the Ablechild.org Facebook page.

The young man’s comment said that he has a nephew who is being forced to take medication—and that his nephew’s mother runs the risk of getting “screwed” should she not give the child the meds. He goes on to mention a friend who’s been on Ritalin his whole life and is “following a pathway to drug addiction and it is happening before my eyes.”

Given the recent study in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry showing that childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases the risk that a child will smoke cigarettes or abuse drugs or alcohol in early adulthood, and that intervention with stimulant drugs was not found to conclusively alter or reduce that risk, either this kid has done his homework and/or he’s seeing a medical experiment play out in front of his very eyes.

Regardless, the comment he made that really caught my eye and stuck with me the most was this: “I wanna do something to stop this but I don’t know where to start I’m just a senior in high school.”

Just a senior in high school.

As someone who’s now well beyond high school and a parent to three, it’s a heart-wrenching plea to hear from someone so young, and clearly not so naive. Heart-wrenching because it’s compounded by the advice of the Ablechild.org FB page moderator to take advantage of the Hatch Amendment and the Medwatch form for reporting any adverse drug reactions to the FDA. Yes, a parent should be aware of both and should utilize both (along with pushing to be an active participant in any Section 504 considerations for their child)—but it’s not enough.

What if the “adverse reaction” is more than a low-grade fever. What if it’s sudden death—as was allegedly the case with 14-year-old Matthew Hohmann in 2004? As reported at the time at abcnews.go.com, his parents are convinced that Matthew’s Adderall XR is responsible for his death. And what of the FDA’s Medwatch reporting system then? No, what you need then is an attorney.

What if it’s Maryanne Godboldo of Michigan who’s fighting for her custody of her daughter following a drawn out battle with CPS (Child Protection Services) over her stopping her daughter’s use of the psychotropic drug, Risperdal?

And see, Godboldo’s story didn’t start there—it started when she and her daughter wanted to enter the public school system after several years of homeschooling—and the school required immunizations. Godboldo noticed uncharacteristic behavioral changes in her daughter within two weeks of the immunizations. And she began—as any responsible parent would—to try to seek help for her child.

Her suspicion that the immunizations might be the cause of the behavioral change was dismissed, and doctors prescribed psychotropic drug therapy for her daughter, which Godboldo later discontinued. The result? Health care providers claiming Godboldo medically abused her daughter, and CPS stepping in to remove the child from the home.

Godboldo is now facing criminal charges for allegedly firing a gun shot at police when they came to take her daughter away. If indeed she did take aim, who as a parent among us can not sense her frustration, her desperation and her lack of any other recourse to have her voice heard?

Ditto Jim Kaiser, who actually felt he had no other option than to kidnap his own son a few years back in order to keep his child from being forced to take Adderall (see video above). What you don’t see in the video report on Kaiser is what he shares on his website, MyNameisBen.org, where he shares that his child’s mother has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and he also shares “words that she personally wrote” in her journal about her feelings and her ability (or lack thereof) to take care of her son. Reading this, if indeed true, provides a bit of backstory to Kaiser’s fight for his son and, as with Godboldo above, would make any parent understand what drove him to kidnap his own child to save him from being drugged.

And, with the statistics for ADHD diagnosis on the rise—according to the CDC (cdc.gov), parent-reported ADHD diagnosis rose twenty-two per cent between 2003 and 2007—this is not an issue that’s going away any time soon.

The problem with the lame “follow the process” process to documenting a child’s diagnosis (or misdiagnosis, as with ADHD can be the case) and treatment is that, as a parent, there is no real recourse as Godboldo and Kaiser have found out. Following the rules and trying to do the right thing nets nothing except an up-to-date file in some school office somewhere. And it nets a young man—truly no longer a child, though legally so—reaching out on a Facebook page in a plea for help and a desire for action, somehow, some way.

My advice to this young man is this: Continue to question. Continue to vocalize. Continue to fight. You will be heard. File the reports and the paperwork to CYA (cover your a**)—or advocate for those you love to do so. Follow the “drugging our kids” stories that are garnishing national attention, and don’t be afraid to speak with an attorney who specializes in civil rights—or, though I hope it doesn’t come to this as it would mean injury is involved, pharmaceutical litigation or medical malpractice (lest we forget little Rebecca Riley).

And for the rest of us, it’s time to take note of this young man’s plea and do something.