| Tobacco firms face thousands of new suits
Florida lawyers rushed to beat this week's deadline for individual claims after the Florida Supreme Court overturned a $145 billion punitive-damage verdict, the biggest in history, in July 2006. At the same time, the court upheld jury findings that the companies were negligent and sold defective products, which will apply in all the new cases. ''The industry is in a bad position in Florida,'' said Robert Kelley, whose Fort Lauderdale firm represents about 100 clients in the suits. ``There are a lot of really good trial lawyers filing these cases.'' Philip Morris, the biggest U.S. cigarette maker, said it faces new Florida suits filed on behalf of about 1,700 dead and injured smokers so far. Plaintiffs' lawyers said the total number of claims filed against the industry may reach 10,000.
New Tech fan blog: 'Shake and Bake' cooking up great future with ...
JASON JONES: It was about this time last year that Derek Dooley arrived on campus and had to basically start from scratch to put together a recruiting class. To top things off, he had about six weeks to get the job done. This year, thanks to hours and hours of work, Dooley and his staff are sitting in a much better position. Coach Dooley has commitments from 12 high school athletes. In addition, junior college standout Kwame Jordan, a 6-5 defensive end, signed in December. Jordan had offers from Marshall and Troy, but it's his former high school teammate that might be his biggest contribution. John Ehret end Eric Harper switched his commitment from Nebraska to Tech when he visited in December along with Jordan, his former teammate. Other big names pledged to the Dawgs are Bastrop athlete Bud Patterson and Mississippi prep quarterback Bret Jefcoat.
Something Fishy About Mothers and Fish Story
Then, in the question-and-answer session, someone put Betty Jordan of HMHB on the grill. She asked Jordan if there was any link between the more-fish-is-good-for-you recommendations and the National Fisheries Institute, an industry-funded group. The answer from Jordan: Yes, the HMHB did take $60,000 from NFI specifically to design a "micro" Web site to promote the new guidelines and to produce other "educational" materials. On further probing, the docs said they hadn't taken any money — though a couple said they'd taken "honorariums" for coming to coalition meetings. At deadline this afternoon, the HMHB still hadn't returned NPR's phone calls seeking more information. Meanwhile, Aubrey's calls were turning up other problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics told her that the group had no idea it was being associated with the guidelines, with which it disagrees.
Filed under: CollegeBasketball
She set out as she had done every Sunday afternoon for years. She locked her door, turned to the weather, and held the hand rail as she stepped carefully down from the porch. Once on the ground she adjusted her hat on her gray head. As this was a winter day in the Christmas season, a cold day, she also adjusted her coat. Had it been raining, she would have pulled a large lawn and leaf bag, as if it were a poncho, over her head and upper body. Most times she shouldered her hand bag. This day she also shouldered a bulging plastic shopping bag. She walked along the dirt road that would lead her to the paved road that would lead her to the highway. Her only company was her shadow, small and indistinct at her feet. She walked without the deliberate care of someone unfamiliar with the terrain, but neither was her gait quick.
Odds grow that economy could buckle under the strain of housing, jobs ...
The big economic question these days is whether the weakening economy will survive the strains or collapse under them. The odds have grown that the economy will slip into a recession. At the beginning of last year, many economists put that chance at less than 1 in 3; now an increasing number says it has climbed to around 50-50. Goldman Sachs, the biggest investment bank on Wall Street, even thinks a recession is inevitable this year. Hopeful it can be avoided, President Bush and the Democrat-controlled Congress are exploring economic rescue measures, including possible tax rebates. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke pledged to lower interest rates as needed. The idea is to induce people to boost spending, especially on big-ticket items such as homes and cars, and revitalize economic activity.
September 2007
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Something Fishy About Mothers and Fish Story
Then, in the question-and-answer session, someone put Betty Jordan of HMHB on the grill. She asked Jordan if there was any link between the more-fish-is-good-for-you recommendations and the National Fisheries Institute, an industry-funded group. The answer from Jordan: Yes, the HMHB did take $60,000 from NFI specifically to design a "micro" Web site to promote the new guidelines and to produce other "educational" materials. On further probing, the docs said they hadn't taken any money — though a couple said they'd taken "honorariums" for coming to coalition meetings. At deadline this afternoon, the HMHB still hadn't returned NPR's phone calls seeking more information. Meanwhile, Aubrey's calls were turning up other problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics told her that the group had no idea it was being associated with the guidelines, with which it disagrees.
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