| Lanier opens West Coast office
The 28-attorney firm, which opened an office in Manhattan in 2005, said its third office will be in Los Angeles. Founder Mark Lanier will head the new office, with Shepard Hoffman serving as of counsel and Julie Drenner joining the firm as an associate. "We felt the nationwide nature of our practice made it important to establish a permanent California presence," Lanier said. The Los Angeles office will concentrate on asbestos exposure, commercial litigation, intellectual property, pharmaceutical liability, maritime law and product liability. Lanier has gathered almost $1 billion in verdicts and settlements, including a $253.5 million decision in favor of the family of an Angleton marathon runner who died after taking the drug Vioxx for less than a year.
Cyberspace vigilanties
Ultimately, the U.S. attorney's office decided no charges could be filed against the Drews or the family friend, Ashley Grills, who told the FBI that Lori Drew would sometimes dictate messages for "Josh" to send Megan. The St. Charles County prosecutor, Jack Banas, agreed, explaining that no statutes against harassment, stalking or child endangerment could be applied. What happened was despicable, he said, but to be considered criminal the state would have to prove the hoax was intended to frighten or disturb Megan, not merely elicit information. The Los Angeles Times, citing an anonymous source, reported recently that federal prosecutors in California are investigating whether MySpace, which is based in Santa Monica, was defrauded by the perpetrators of the "Josh Evans" hoax.
Edwards Reconsidered
For years, his foreign-policy outlook has been a hodgepodge of insights and dangerous conventional wisdom; his health-care prescriptions have not taken the leap to single payer; and all told, from a progressive standpoint, his positions have been inferior to those of Dennis Kucinich. But Edwards was the most improved presidential candidate of 2007. He sharpened his attacks on corporate power and honed his calls for economic justice. He laid down a clear position against nuclear power. He explicitly challenged the power of the insurance industry and the pharmaceutical giants. And he improved his position on Iraq to the point that, in an interview with the New York Times a couple of days ago, he said: "The continued occupation of Iraq undermines everything America has to do to reestablish ourselves as a country that should be followed, that should be a leader." Later in the interview, Edwards added: "I would plan to have all combat troops out of Iraq at the end of nine to ten months, certainly within the first year." Now, apparently, Edwards is one of three people with a chance to become the Democratic presidential nominee this year.
All officers were wearing body armor during Shivers shooting
I think it's sad that two lives were lost: the first, a good Cop trying to do his job, and the second, a scared and confused citizen, who panicked and pulled the trigger. No man in his right mind would fire a pistol at a group of Police Officers. My gut feel is that he probably thought someone was trying to rob him again, and he feared for his safety. I'm confident the facts will eventually come out, in a court of law. In the meantime, I'm not willing to presume that he's some wild-eyed, major drug dealing, wanton Cop killer. Now is the time to mourn the loss of one of our Finest. I wish we as a Nation could revisit this whole area of what's important in drug enforcement, as well as the procedures currently used to enter the home of a civilian, who has not been charged with a crime. Is the control of pot that important to the safety of our Country? Is it worth people dying for? I pray the Officer's family finds comfort over time; they certainly have a lot of Brothers and Sisters who will make sure that they are taken care of.
What about us?
An elderly person can participate in a home health program and get help around the house. Then move to assisted living housing where someone is always available to help with medications, cleaning or even bathing. And finally to a nursing home, where the care and attention is continuous.Yet Gillette is missing a rung in the ladder toward dependency. For people like Irene, who are still coherent and somewhat mobile, there are no options for assisted living.It's a predicament hospital officials are genuinely pondering, but one they'll tell you won't be solved easily, and probably not profitably, either.Within the last decade, assisted living has risen to prominence as a cheaper, and in many cases preferable, alternative for the elderly who are still able enough to care for themselves, but still need help with certain daily activities.There are 37,000 assisted living communities in the country, said Paul Williams, spokesman for the Assisted Living Federation of America.
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