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Cook County to start paying awards in illegal political hiring, promotions
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 30, 2008

Cook County will pay more than $100,000 each to four victims of illegal political patronage as part of 108 awards announced Thursday by a court-appointed hiring monitor.

Julia Nowicki awarded about $3 million to people who lost out on jobs and promotions because of politics between August 2004 and February 2007.

The awards, ranging from $250 to $323,000, will be paid by the county in the next 60 days.

One of the biggest-$130,000-went to Margaret Bageanis, an administrative assistant in the county's Animal Control Department since 1988.

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Levaquin: This Antibiotic Doesn't Leave You Aching for More
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 25, 2008

The Levaquin antibiotic is proving to be more trouble than it is worth for many patients, if one man's story is any indication. A host of Levaquin side effects is one of the reasons why the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has the wheels in motion for a black box warning for Levaquin.

"Doug" is a healthy 31-year-old man with no pressing health problems-until, it seems, he was prescribed Levaquin to combat a bad case of bronchitis. His doctor prescribed a 10-day regimen of Levaquin, 500 mg once per day. While his bronchitis appeared to be on the mend, Doug began noticing pain in his left knee after taking the Levaquin for only two days. Doug describes it as a dull ache that was almost a constant, regardless of whether he was walking, standing or sitting-however the pain would escalate sharply whenever he moved.

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Animal rights drive dog lawsuit
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 19, 2008

Michael and Kathryn Sutton aren't activists. They never envisioned joining any movement. Yet, the Ellijay couple find themselves at the forefront of a legal battle aimed at elevating the status of animals under the law. Their fight could redefine veterinary care - and the relationship between humans and animals.

Last month, the Suttons filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court charging their former veterinary surgeon with doggy malpractice for her treatment of Marshall, the Suttons' beloved 13-year-old miniature Schnauzer. The unusual suit claims Marshall would still be alive today if it weren't for the poor care of Sandy Springs-based vet Julie Duval.

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GM agrees to pay Saturn owners for transmission defects
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 16, 2008

General Motors Corp. has agreed to pay an estimated $90 million or more to "tens of thousands" of motorists in all 50 states for expenses they incurred as a result of defective transmissions in more than 90,000 Saturn economy cars.

The agreement by the manufacturing giant, if ultimately approved by a Sacramento federal judge, would resolve a class-action lawsuit targeting certain models of four-cylinder Saturn Vues and Ions.

They are equipped with "Vti" transmissions. Unlike a conventional automatic transmission, which uses traditional gears to shift at a few fixed points, it is a "continuously variable" transmission that has a belt and pulley system to shift between gears.

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Senate Measure Would Expand Disabilities Act
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 12, 2008

The Senate on Thursday approved a major civil rights bill that would expand protections against workplace discrimination for people with disabilities and that would address several Supreme Court rulings that curbed such safeguards in the past decade.

The measure, passed on a voice vote and without dissent, is similar to legislation that sailed through the House in June by a vote of 402 to 17. Minor differences between the bills are expected to be resolved quickly and a final version sent to President Bush. The legislation would expand the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act, which was signed by Mr. Bush's father.

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CT scans can be better medicine for doctors than for patients
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 11, 2008

When Maureen Scanlan had a painful kidney stone episode four years ago, she was pleased that her doctor ordered an annual regimen of CT scans to monitor her condition.

The scans involved hundreds of razor-thin X-rays of her innards stitched together by a computer into stunningly detailed 3-D images showing the size and location of the stone, down to the millimeter.

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FDA posts list of potential problem drugs
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 08, 2008

The government on Friday began posting a list of prescription drugs under investigation for potential safety problems in an effort to better inform doctors and patients.

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Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified by the Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS)
Posted by: Sam Nicholson
September 08, 2008

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Consumer Protection Laws and Your Business
Posted by: euser
September 03, 2008

If you are a business owner, make sure you know about and follow the state consumer protection laws that apply to your business. These laws protect consumers from unfair or deceptive practices. They go beyond the traditional legal remedies available for breach of warranty to really help consumers. Laws like these are on the books in nearly every state, although the details vary.

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Study says smoking may hurt women more than men
Posted by: Matthew Terry
September 03, 2008

MUNICH, Germany (AP) - Women who smoke may develop heart disease at almost the same age as male smokers, wiping out the natural difference between the sexes, doctors said Tuesday.

In research presented to the European Society of Cardiology, Norwegian researchers said that women who smoke have heart attacks nearly 14 years earlier than women who don't smoke. For men, the figure is about six years.

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