October 2010 Archives

Test results are in for oil material found in Pensacola Bay late last month.  A lab experienced in testing petroleum products determined that the oil’s toxicity levels are sky-high.  “In its natural state, the numbers are off the chart,” said Heather Reed, the environmental expert for the City of Gulf Breeze who made the discovery. “It’s extremely toxic to human health.”

Lab workers had to dilute the sample 20 times just to get a reading. Reed said samples are usually diluted only once.  “The oil is very well preserved,” Reed added.

Read more: gulfbreezenews.com.

A medical expert testified Monday in the state medical licensing hearing held in Los Angeles for Dr. Michael Kamrava, the fertility doctor who assisted Nadya "Octomom" Suleman in conceiving octuplets and six previous children.  The expert said Kamrava did not screen Suleman for mental health issues and failed to limit the number of embryos she had implanted. 

Dr. Michael Kamrava could have his medical license revoked if it is determined he was negligent in his treatment of not only Nadia, but two other patients: A 48-year -old woman who became pregnant with quadruplets and a 42-year-old who was diagnosed with ovarian cancer after receiving fertility treatments. 

Read more: modernmom.com.

Jurors in the trial of Joanna L. Seibert heard from Dr. Sheila Klauer, a research scientist at Virginia Tech's Transportation Institute who conducted a study on distracted driving.  Siebert was found guilty this week of homicide by vehicle and tampering with evidence in the death of Officer David Tome.  Seibert fatally struck Tome, 31, the morning of Oct. 21, 2008, as Tome was standing on  Route 15 in Franklin Township placing safety cones in preparation to investigate a previous fatal crash.  Seibert was going 69 mph in a 55 mph zone, applying makeup and using her cell phone when she failed to notice orange traffic cones closing the right southbound lane of Route 15.

Her Saturn VUE hit several cones, then fatally struck Tome. Seibert deleted the usage history on her Apple iPhone the day after the crash, which was the basis of the evidence-tampering charge.  Chief deputy prosecutor Tim Barker told the judge that Seibert's driving record "is quite extensive" and includes two traffic citations since the fatal crash. Court records reveal that since 2000, Seibert pleaded guilty to, or was found guilty of, six traffic offenses including tailgating, careless driving and speeding.

Read more: yorkdispatch.com.

Home insurance experts are warning social network users against divulging too much personal information on social network sites such as Twitter and Facebook in order to avoid becoming a target for thieves.  The advice comes after a spate of burglaries in New Hampshire were reported with potential links to social network sites. There was a suggestion the homes may have been targeted by burglars after the owners changed their statuses on Facebook to say they were on holiday or away on business.

Some insurers believe that in the future, regular users of social network sites could see their home insurance premiums rise by as much as 10% as a result of the information they give out via the sites.  The introduction of the new feature, Facebook Places, which allows users to share their location with other members could lead to problems for home security. By stating a location other than your home, you’re revealing that your property is therefore empty, which could be an open invitation to some thieves.

Read more: http://www.ladymotor.co.uk/news/

More expert witnesses provided testimony on behalf of the U.S. Department of Justice last week as the trial over Arkansas’ state-run residential facilities for people with developmental disabilities continued in federal court.  The U.S. Department of Justice sued the state in 2009, claiming Arkansas’ facilities for developmentally disabled adults and children had fallen below federal standards of care and violated the civil rights of the residents.

The DOJ claims the Conway Human Development Center makes no effort to integrate its residents back into the community and that the residents’ civil rights are being violated by dangerous living conditions.  The state maintains that the residents are well cared for.

Read more: thecabin.net.