Disgraced Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein and the board of his now-bankrupt company have reached a tentative $25 million settlement with the dozens of women who have accused him of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment. The deal would not require Weinstein to admit any wrongdoing, nor would Weinstein have to pay any of his own money to the dozens of actresses and female employees who have accused him of serial rape and sexual harassment.
The women who have brought civil suits against him would instead split a pool of money paid by insurance companies representing The Weinstein Company, which filed for bankruptcy in 2018, as a result of the scandal. Eighteen of Weinstein’s accusers would reportedly share $6.2 million, with none of the women receiving more than $500,000. Another $18.5 million would be split between accusers who are part of a class action lawsuit against Weinstein, the New York attorney general’s case, and future claimants.
The deal is far from complete since an official agreement must be drawn up and approved by a judge in federal court in Delaware, which is handling The Weinstein Company bankruptcy proceedings, and a judge in federal court in New York. Several accusers refused to go along with the agreement and could challenge it in court. Rebecca Goldman, Chief Operating Officer of the Time’s Up Foundation, said in a statement “This settlement is more than a math problem – it’s a symptom of a problematic, broken system that privileges powerful abusers at the expense of survivors. While this settlement is flawed, we know it represents the hard work of several survivors of Harvey Weinstein. We hope it brings them, and perhaps others, some small measure of justice and relief that is long overdue.”
Accusers who are not part of the settlement can still bring suits against him, including actress Ashley Judd. In January, a judge dismissed Judd’s sexual harassment claim against Weinstein, but stated she could continue with her defamation case against the disgraced producer. Weinstein is also facing criminal sexual assault charges in New York and is scheduled to go on trial for rape in Manhattan Supreme Court on January 6th. He has been charged with five counts of predatory sexual assault, criminal sex act and rape. He faces life in prison if convicted. Weinstein was accused of forcibly performing oral sex on a woman in 2006 and raping another woman in 2013. A judge recently increased Weinstein’s bail from $1 million to $5 million following allegations he had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor.
The disgraced Hollywood producer, who has been accused of sexual assault and harassment by more than 80 women, complained in an interview that the allegations have made him “a forgotten man.” While recovering from spinal surgery at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, Weinstein said “My work has been forgotten.”
Shortly after the interview was made public, the “Silence Breakers,” including actresses Rose McGowan, Ashley Judd and Rosanna Arquette, posted their response to the official Time’s Up Twitter account. The statement said “Harvey Weinstein is trying to gaslight society again. He says in a new interview he doesn’t want to be forgotten. Well, he won’t be. He will be remembered as a sexual predator and an unrepentant abuser who took everything and deserves nothing. He will be remembered by the collective will of countless women who stood up and said enough. We refuse to let this predator rewrite his legacy of abuse.”
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The University of Phoenix is paying a record $191 million to settle a complaint filed by the Federal Trade Commission accusing the for-profit university of using deceptive ads to lure students with the promise of future job opportunities with large companies such as AT&T, Adobe, Twitter, Microsoft and Yahoo. The settlement includes a plan to cancel $141 million in student debts that are owed to the school by people who enrolled from October 2012 through the end of 2016 – the period in which the FTC says prospective students might have been duped. The remaining $50 million in the settlement will be paid in cash, which the FTC says “will be used for consumer redress.”
Court documents show the settlement gives the University of Phoenix and its parent company, Apollo Education Group, 15 business days to send an email and letter to eligible students, informing them that they’re covered by the agreement. The letters inform eligible former students that they no longer owe any money to University of Phoenix and their account balance will be cleared within 45 business days. The letter also states that the school has 55 business days to tell credit reporting agencies to delete the debt from students’ credit reports.
The FTC says the university wrongly suggested that it worked closely with high-profile companies to develop its courses and the school’s “Let’s Get to Work” ad campaign was one example of how it hyped connections with potential employers that did not exist. The University of Phoenix successfully targeted minorities, military veterans, service members and their spouses for enrollment, the FTC says, calling the University of Phoenix “the largest recipient of Post-9/11 GI Bill benefits since the program’s inception.” As part of the deal, the university did not admit or deny any wrongdoing alleged in the federal complaint.
Andrew Smith, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection said in a statement that it’s the largest settlement the FTC has obtained against a for-profit school. Smith added, “Students making important decisions about their education need the facts, not fantasy job opportunities that do not exist.” In response to the FTC settlement, the University of Phoenix issued a fact sheet touting both its achievements and its commitments to improve. In it, the school says it devoted 17% of its total spending in the 2018 fiscal year to marketing costs. The fact sheet concludes with a section titled “We Are Committed To Responsible Marketing.”
The settlement affects students who were enrolled between October 2012 and December 2016 but does not apply to those who owe money from federal and private loans. William Hubbard, a spokesman for Student Veterans of America, said the case “heavily underscores that questionable practices to aggressively recruit students are not acceptable,” but added the debt covered represented “a small piece of the pie.” “Ultimately private loans, those don’t fall under the debt cancellation rules,” he said. “If you’re a student that is paying for costs out of pocket, presumably through a private loan, you’re still on the hook for that.”
The FTC said in its statement that those who believe they have been defrauded can apply for loan forgiveness using the borrower defense to repayment procedures, and borrowers looking to lower monthly payments on their federal loans could obtain information from the Department of Education about income-driven repayment plans.
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Daily HI4E.org Trivia Contest Winners For The Week Ending: Sunday, December 15th, 2019.
In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx/VISA gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, December 15th, 2019 was:
MELINDA POULLION
Owosso, MI
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEX/VISA Gift Card
Each day, fans who have “liked” either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex/Visa Gift Card.
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook fan and “Like and Follow” either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
The drawing entries 12/9/19 thru 12/15/19 are:
12/9/19
Kimberly Nicole
Pamela White Brearley
Be Schwerin
Robin Griffitts Pratt
Stephanie Beckwith
Maria Bouchard
Wendi Black
Lori Sexton Leal
Darlene Whyte
Traci Anderson
Melissa White
Tiffany Borek
Mya Murphy
Stacy Nelson
Kacie Rogers
Rhonda Grisham
Mita Dave
Jean Simmons Homfeld
Carole Jacobs
Brandi K Chaney
Dawn Raasch
Allison Anderson
Miichelle Webb
Sherry Barnes
12/10/19
Amanda Kyrie’ Ayala
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Karyn Koehler
Jennifer Ramlet
Carla Marie
Jenai Merri
Cassandra Berholtz
Andrea Timms-Hill
Sunney Michelle Johnson
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Janice McKay Donahue
Samantha Smith
Melissa White
Stephanie Beckwith
Darbie Brown
Katrina Jordan-Worford
Barbara Austin
Tina Mimick
Karen Brunet Moore
Tracy Heyer
LaKishia Wagers
Jenifer Garza
Becca Neuenschwander Long
12/11/19
Lisa A Mazola
Nicole Blaha
Cheryl Ralley-Messick
Melissa Whit
Jeannine Scavo
Jennifer Ramlet
Jenifer Garza
Dean Bruss
Mya Murphy
Nicole Watson
Kassie Lynn DiFazio
Heather Marocco
Michelle Small
April Denise Council-Redmond
Tera Lee Culverwell
Gina Rock
Tina Auth
Misty Shallcross
Jodi Stevens
Anna Nichols
Karen Brunet Moore
Tracy Heyer
Gina Guarente Fieger
Lenis Abshire
12/12/19
Lori Capobianco
Vickie Gipson
Anna Nichols
Lauren Bradley
Kelsey Brooke Vinson
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Mya Murphy
Kimberly Snyder
Rosanne Clark
Sherry Barnes
Destiny Landsaw Davis
Joann Tompkins-Winborn
Eva Biggs
Suzanne Driscoll
April Ashcraft
Yolanda Ortega-Hackett
Trish Hysell
Johanna Landsaw-Davis
Carla Marie
Madeline Lonergan
12/13/19
MarTez Rodgers
Vickie Gipson
Destiny Landsaw Davis
Dale Fish
Dean Bruss
Rosanne Clark
Andrea Ayala
Joann Tompkins-Winborn
Janice McKay Donahue
MarcyLynn Coull
Paula Gillespie
Tom Cavalli
Phylicia Phillips
Angela Meek
Jennifer Leffler
Tearsa D Keith
Esther Harrell Tartaglia
Debbie Erickson
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Sherry Barnes
Carl Buddy Mizell
12/14/19
Sarah Harrison
Brooke Scott
Lauren Bradley
Angela Janisse
Eleazar Ruiz
Dean Bruss
MarcyLynn Coull
Debbie Bloxom
Sherry Lilly
Kimberly Snyder
Karen Brunet Moore
Becky VanGinkel
Rosanne Clark
Cathie Ahner
Ellen Ciambrelli Ferrari
Karen Goodwin Delaney
Nikki Bankert
Barbara Austin
Steve Ahner
Melissa Mae
Pamela White Brearly
12/15/19
Melinda Poullion
Amanda Kyrie’ Ayala
Deborah Thomas
Eleazar Ruiz
Traci Anderson
Kim Avery
Karen Ann Hinkle
Melissa White
Katherine Oliveira
Kimberly Snyder
Jenn Anthony
Timothy Simpson
Dave Miller
Ryan Lerman
Anna Nichols
Shannon Rush
Alyssa DiFazio
Jan Peoples
Be Schwerin
Carmela Ann
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better.
Also note that a number of the posted answers each day are from contestants who have forgotten to “Like” one of our pages, so their names WILL NOT be entered at the end week drawing for the gift card, giving our fans a better chance!
You may also find that if you “Like” BOTH of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
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At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Over 54,000 Combined Fans/Followers To Our Social Media Sites, & We’re Growing Daily!
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Uber says it received 5,981 reports of sexual assault in 2017 and 2018. Among those, there were 464 reports of rape. The report also noted there were 19 deaths caused by physical assault during 2017 and 2018. The report showed that about 92% of the victims of rape were riders and about 7% of the victims were drivers. Women and female-identifying individuals made up 89% of the victims with men and male-identifying individuals comprising about 8% of victims. Less than 1% of victims identified as gender minorities. The other four categories of sexual assault defined by Uber — including non-consensual kissing, non-consensual touching and attempted rape — did not detail whether the reporting parties were victims. Lyft said it would release its own safety report but it has not indicated when.
Uber also released “early estimates” for the first six months of 2019. It estimated that one out of every 6 million trips may result in an incident report concerning non-consensual sexual penetration, and one in every 900,000 trips may result in an incident report concerning non-consensual touching of a sexual body part. Based on these estimates, and Uber’s own estimate that it has 45 rides every second in the US alone, there were more than 100 reports of rape, and nearly 800 reports of non-consensual touching of a sexual body part, in the first half of 2019. The first half numbers are subject to change, due to factors such as auditing and late reporting.
The ride hailing app has repeatedly been criticized for not taking passenger safety seriously, and for ignoring reports of rape and sexual assault by its drivers. The company incidents of sexual assault are rare, as the company averages more than 3 million trips each day. The report only covers Uber’s U.S. operations. Critics say Uber should be doing more, particularly with background checks, to weed out potentially dangerous drivers. Unlike many taxi companies, Uber and its main U.S. rival, Lyft, do not check drivers’ fingerprints against a national database. Uber says the FBI has acknowledged its database is incomplete and does not always include a final disposition. The company’s process includes a motor vehicle screening, a criminal background check and ongoing notifications about any new offenses. An added fingerprint check, which can’t be faked, could add precious time to the driver-approval process.
A U.S. House committee is looking at legislation that could reduce the number of sex assaults involving ride-hailing passengers and drivers by requiring fingerprint background checks, camera monitoring and front license plates for ride-hailing cars in states that don’t have them. This would help prevent fake ride-hailing drivers from picking up passengers by making it easier for passengers to check plate numbers against the ones provided by Uber and Lyft. There could be limits on what federal legislators can do because ride-hailing companies conduct interstate commerce, but that is new legal territory.
Uber has been making efforts to improve safety over the last two years, including an in-app emergency button, a ride-check feature that detects unexpected stops or crashes and the ability for riders or drivers to share their location with loved ones during a ride. The company outlined additional safety steps it will take in the report. Both Uber and Lyft are promising more safety initiatives to try to prevent sexual assault during ride-sharing trips by better educating drivers. In 2020, Uber plans to expand sexual misconduct and assault education for all U.S. drivers and is working with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network or RAINN, the nation’s largest sexual violence organization, to design the program. Uber wants to share the names of drivers who have been banned from the platform with other ride-sharing companies. Lyft also is working with RAINN on a safety education program, which drivers are required to complete, according to Lyft’s web site. In October, Lyft teamed up with security company ADT to develop new safety features in nine markets for early 2020. Both companies offer in-app access to 911.
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Four Rikers Island correctional officers were suspended for allegedly waiting several minutes to rescue an inmate who had tried to hang himself in a cell, authorities and law-enforcement sources said. Surveillance The video showed the officers stood by for seven minutes while a teenager attempted to hang himself. Video shows one officer even walked up to the holding pen where the teenager was hanging, opened the door, then closed the door and walked away without intervening. The city’s Department of Investigation opened an inquiry into the incident.
The guards — three correction officers and one captain — are accused of inaction during the near-fatal incident when Nicholas Feliciano, 18, allegedly attempted to hang himself at the George R. Vierno Center at about 12 a.m. on Nov. 28. The captain had witnessed the incident on surveillance footage and went to the inmate to cut him down, sources said. Feliciano was rushed to a nearby hospital in critical condition with no brain activity and remains in a medically induced coma. The 18-year-old had been jailed in Rikers since November 19th when he was arrested on a parole violation. Feliciano had been in an altercation at the jail earlier in the day of suicide attempt and had been moved from general population into a holding cell by himself.
Video footage of the suicide attempt described to the Times shows him wrap one end of a piece of clothing around his neck and another to a pipe on the ceiling of the cell. He then stepped off a wall that separates the toilet from the rest of the cell and hangs from his neck. At one point during the attempt, Feliciano appeared to have second thoughts and struggled to get his feet back on the wall. He hung from the pipe for about seven minutes before he was rescued. The area of the attempted suicide was in view of a guard desk where officers can monitor activity through video feeds. The actions of the officers were recorded by a separate camera.
Rikers Island has housed jail inmates since the 1930s and has long been known for brutality. The jail complex saw hundreds of stabbings every year during the 1980s and early 1990s. In 2014, an Associated Press investigation detailed dozens of inmate deaths including that of a homeless ex-Marine who essentially baked to death in a hot cell. In 2016, “60 Minutes” correspondent Bill Whitaker reported that a lack of adequate training and a rising mentally ill population have made an already bad situation in the jail worse. New York City lawmakers voted in October to close the Rikers Island jail complex, which has become synonymous with violence and neglect, and replace it with four smaller jails in separate boroughs by 2026. The plan has been met with pushback from communities where the new jails would be located.
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Daily HI4E.org Trivia Contest Winners For The Week Ending: Sunday, December 8th, 2019.
In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx/VISA gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, December 8th, 2019 was:
NICOLE WATSON
Lumberton, NC
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEX/VISA Gift Card
Each day, fans who have “liked” either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex/Visa Gift Card.
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook fan and “Like and Follow” either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
The drawing entries 12/2/19 thru 12/8/19 are:
12/2/19
Melinda Poullion
Brandi Gail Manley
Eleazar Ruiz
Bill MacLeod
Melissa Mae
Dawn Raasch
Jessica Cason
Jill Nauyokas
Demara Peterson Broadus
Desire Kightlinger Swarm
Cassandra Berholtz
Mike Adamski
Andrea Somers
Erica Hansen
Crystal Young
Nelle Bailey
Carrie Vucinaj
Mya Murphy
Jennifer Lang
Cindy Quisenberry
Isis Sample
12/3/19
Eleazar Ruiz
Nelle Bailey
April Ashcraft
Christy Hawkes
Althea Thomas
Karyn Koehler
Tera Lee Culverwell
Jennifer Ramlet
Angel Shearl
Nicole Blaha
Sue Barney
Be Schwerin
Gina Rock
Lisa Puckett
Anna Nichols
Robin Jedele
Tearsa D Keith
Beth Cleveland
Tina Gilbert
LaKishia Wagers
12/4/19
Andrea Somers
Eleazar Ruiz
Annette French
Karen Brunet Moore
Melinda Poullion
Jean Simmons Homfeld
Nelle Bailey
Emily Rice Bowersock
Kevin Cusack
Angela Janisse
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Brittany Light
Misty Shallcross
Johanna Landsaw Davis
Nancy Pfirrman Schools
Destiny Landsaw Davis
Lisa A Mazola
Nicole Blaha
Jill Nauyokas
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Christina Domingue
LaKishia Wagers
12/5/19
Kristina Harris
Eric Sanders
Traci Anderson
Lena Perry
Jodi Stevens
Bea Patrick
Pamela Gonzalez
Becca Neuenschwander Long
Sunney Michelle Johnson
Jennifer Leffler
Beth Epley Minton
Jeannie Prosser
Be Schwerin
Kim Avery
Tina Auth
Alisa Jones
Nacole Patrick
Karyn Koehler
Cindy Quisenberry
Amy Flecknoe Moyer
12/6/19
Misty Shallcross
Tessa Davis
Angela Janisse
Melinda Poullion
Jenn Smith Jackson
Christina Domingue
Diane Maxwell
Jennifer Ramlet
Lori Sexton Leal
Nicole Blaha
Lesa Moats
Andrea Somers
Kim Avery
Trish Marks
Christy Hawkes
Katherine Oliveira
Joann Tompkins-Winborn
Trish Marks
Melissa White
Wendi Black
April Ashcraft
12/7/19
Martha Prescott
Tammy Lee Stookey
Alicia Johnson
Yolanda Ortega-Hackett
Melinda Dreier
Kim Avery
Jodi Stevens
Susan Clarke Jette
Brittany Light
Becky VanGinkel
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Shannon Rush
Michelle Webb
Alisa Jones
MarTez Rodgers
Paula Gillespie
Nicole Blaha
Dawn Raasch
Christy Hawkes
Traci Anderson
Angela Janisse
12/8/19
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Cheryl Ralley-Messick
Christy Marie
Brittany Light
Andrea Somers
Dawn Walsh
Kim Avery
Rosanne Clark
Christina Cannon
Susan Clarke Jette
Kristina Harris
Cheryl Ralley-Messick
Be Schwerin
Morgan Alexandra
Shannon Rush
Maria Bouchard
Madeline Lonergan
Vickie Gipson
Brittany Seiler
Anna Nichols
Nicole Watson
Cheryl Andrews
Eleazar Ruiz
Adaria Johnson
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better.
Also note that a number of the posted answers each day are from contestants who have forgotten to “Like” one of our pages, so their names WILL NOT be entered at the end week drawing for the gift card, giving our fans a better chance!
You may also find that if you “Like” BOTH of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you!
—————————————————————-
At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
Click-On for LinkedIn To Follow Our Posts: LinkedIn
Like us on facebook: HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions, LLC
Over 54,000 Combined Fans/Followers To Our Social Media Sites, & We’re Growing Daily!
Follow Mark Shuster, Founder/Owner at Health & Life Solutions, LLC for daily health tips!
Mark Shuster FaceBook Link
Follow our word press blog and read about everything from health insurance and reform news to healthy living and current events!
Company Blogs
Find out more about LegalShield, our corporate partner which gives you the power to talk to an attorney about any legal issue, and offering high-quality Identity Theft plans.
LegalShield
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In recent years, it’s become evident that oil giant Exxon was aware of the causes and consequences of climate change from at least the 1970s, but chose to deliberately mislead the public for decades. A newly resurfaced article now shows coal industry executives equally understood the science of catastrophic global warming as far back as 1966. According to a copy of the magazine Mining Congress Journal, leaders of the coal industry knew as early as the mid-1960s that burning fossil fuels causes climate change.
The head of a now defunct mining research company wrote that the combustion of fossil fuels was increasing carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, causing global temperature increases. The recently discovered article now provides evidence that both the coal and oil industries have known about catastrophic climate change for decades, yet worked to cover up the evidence in order to continue burning fossil fuels.
James Garvey, the then-president of Bituminous Coal Research Inc., which developed pollution control equipment, discussed the state of pollutants and their regulation in the coal industry at the time. While much of the paper is concerned with sulphur in coal, a small section early in the article is concerned with carbon dioxide (CO2) discharge. “There is evidence that the amount of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere is increasing rapidly as a result of the combustion of fossil fuels,” Garvey writes.
“If the future rate of increase continues as it is at the present, it has been predicted that, because the CO2 envelope reduces radiation, the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere will increase and that vast changes in the climates of the Earth will result. Such changes in temperature will cause melting of the polar icecaps, which, in turn, would result in the inundation of many coastal cities, including New York and London.”
Garvey’s article isn’t the only one acknowledging the dangers of coal-produced pollution in the August 1966 issue. In a discussion piece following Garvey’s paper, combustion engineer James Jones from Peabody Coal (now called Peabody Energy, the largest private coal company in the world), does not address the global warming issue, but admits that air pollution standards to protect health have a place, saying the “Situation is Urgent”.
Jones wrote “We are in favor of cleaning up our air. We are, in effect, ‘buying time’. But we must use that time productively to find answers to the many unsolved problems.” In the decades to come, Peabody would become a huge industrial player in organized climate change denial. At the end of his article, Jones wondered: “What can an individual with a personal stake in the future of the coal industry do?” Among the answers he offered, “Be a ‘one-man’ public relations emissary for the coal industry,” Jones explained to his industry colleagues. “Tell your neighbours, friends, and the general public how important coal is to their every-day existence. Also tell them about the all-out cooperative efforts of the coal industry to reduce air pollution.”
The concerted effort to discredit the scientific consensus over man-made global warming has been continuing for two decades in the United States and shows no sign of weakening. It is often described as an attempt on the part of corporate America, most notably the fossil fuel industries, to hinder governmental regulations on their activities.
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Lung injuries and deaths linked to the use of e-cigarettes and vaping products has continued to rise in the US. The CDC has confirmed 2,290 vaping related lung injury cases and 47 deaths reported as of November 21st, 2019. Cases have been reported in all states except Alaska, along with the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories. Deaths have been confirmed in 25 states and Washington D.C., with more being investigated. Those affected by these illnesses range in age from 13 to 75 years old.
CDC data shows on 514 patients, about 77% reported using THC-containing products in the 30 days prior to the start of their symptoms. However, 16% reported using only nicotine-containing products. The illness is marked by chest pain, shortness of breath and vomiting, and it has largely affected young people. The vast majority of cases, almost 80%, involve e-cigarette users younger than 35, and another 15% are younger than 18.
While the investigation into the cause is still ongoing, the CDC has uncovered a potential cause- vitamin E acetate. Samples taken from the lungs of 29 people with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury or (EVALI) all contained vitamin E acetate. The CDC has also expanded its laboratory testing to include lung fluid, blood, and urine samples from patients, as well as lung biopsy and autopsy specimens.
Vitamin E acetate is commonly used in ingested supplements or skin care, and in those cases appears to be safe. Dr. Anne Schuchat, principal deputy director of the CDC said previous research has found that when vitamin E acetate is inhaled, it may interfere with normal lung function. She said they are no longer seeing such a dramatic rise in EVALI cases as earlier this fall but that some states are still investigating potential cases.
The agency continues to work with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), states, and health providers to track and investigate this outbreak. The agency is also testing the vapor of e-cigarette products that have been involved in these cases to look for potentially harmful compounds. While it appears that vitamin E acetate is associated with EVALI, evidence is not yet sufficient to rule out contribution of other chemicals of concern to EVALI. Many different substances and product sources are still under investigation, and it may be that there is more than one cause of this outbreak.
EVALI looks and sounds like pneumonia. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, fever, nausea and vomiting. But it’s not an infection. The antibiotics used to clear up pneumonia don’t help the vaping illness and without knowing if a patient vapes-doctors might pursue the wrong treatment or miss the chance to encourage the person to stop. The CDC reports that some early patients with the illness who have been out of the hospital for several weeks have begun receiving follow-up care. Doctors are reporting that patients’ recoveries have varied, with some patients appearing to make full recoveries and others continuing to have trouble breathing. CDC reported that some patients have relapsed and had to be hospitalized a second time, with readmissions occurring from as few as five days to as many as 55 days after initial discharge.
E-cigarette manufacturers have advertised their products as a better option for adult smokers who are already hooked on nicotine. For thousands of young people who have never smoked, however, vaping plays the opposite role: It establishes a nicotine addiction that will ultimately lead to cigarette smoking.
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Three Baltimore men who spent 36 years in prison were released after authorities say they were falsely convicted of a 1983 murder. Alfred Chestnut, Ransom Watkins and Andrew Stewart were granted a writ of innocence after being convicted of first-degree murder of a middle school student, DeWitt Duckett. According to police, Duckett, 14, was shot and killed for his coveted Georgetown University basketball jacket in November 1983.
Chestnut has maintained his innocence since his arrest and the parole board denied his early release in part because he refused to admit responsibility for the shooting, the state’s attorney said. After he filed an information request this past spring, he discovered new evidence that was kept from his attorneys during trial. He reached out to Baltimore’s Conviction Integrity Unit, which was reviewing old convictions.
Chestnut and Watkins were 16 at the time of their arrest and Stewart was 17. The three teenagers had been skipping high school classes to visit former teachers at Harlem Park Junior High. Their teachers said they were being “silly,” but not threatening. School security escorted them off campus about half an hour before the murder occurred, according to a joint petition filed by the men and Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby.
Watkins lawyer said the three teenagers were each arrested Thanksgiving morning, waking up with police with guns drawn on them. They were convicted based on witness testimony and what prosecutors at the time said was a crucial piece of evidence — a Georgetown jacket found in Chestnut’s bedroom. Chestnut’s jacket had no blood or gunshot residue and his mother was able to produce a receipt. A store clerk also testified that she had purchased it recently, the joint petition said.
Lawyers involved in the case said they were “horrified” to see the amount of exculpatory evidence that was hidden from the defense team and jury. Both the suspects and trial witnesses, all minors, were interrogated by police without their parents. Potential witnesses were interviewed in a group and told to “get their story together,” according to Chestnut’s lawyers. Anonymous calls identifying another shooter were kept from the defense, Mosby said. That teenager was seen after the shooting wearing what appeared to be Duckett’s jacket and confessing to the murder, she said. That suspect has since died and all trial witnesses have since recanted. “We have intentional concealment and misrepresentation of the exculpatory evidence, evidence that would have showed that it was someone else other than these defendants,” Mosby said.
Mosby apologized to the men “I don’t think that today is a victory, it’s a tragedy. And we need to own up to our responsibility for it,” Mosby said. “There’s no way we can repair the damage to these men, when 36 years of their life were stolen from them. You were all arrested on Thanksgiving 1983. Now you are free to spend the holidays with your loved ones for the first time in 36 years,” Mosby said in a press conference. The men are now in their early fifties preparing to enter adulthood on the outside for the first time and at least two have never driven a car before. Now, late in life, they will experience a world very different from the one they were barred from since their teens.
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Daily HI4E.org Trivia Contest Winners For The Week Ending: Sunday, December 1st, 2019.
In an effort to broaden the company’s “social interaction” with our clients and FaceBook fans, Daily Trivia Questions are posted on both of our business pages. Here are the weekly standings for this past week, and the winner of the Sunday night Weekly Drawing for an AmEx/VISA gift card!
Congratulations – To this past week’s Trivia Contest Winner!! Our latest contest winner for the weekly FaceBook HealthInsurance4Everyone/Health & Life Solutions, LLC Trivia Contest, drawn randomly by computer late Sunday evening, December 1st, 2019 was:
ANDREA SOMERS
Winner Of A $25.00 AmEX/VISA Gift Card
Each day, fans who have “liked” either of our company FaceBook pages (HealthInsurance4Everyone or Health & Life Solutions LLC) are able to test their skills with our Daily TRIVIA QUESTION. The first 20 winners who post the correct answer to the TRIVIA QUESTION, will then get entered into the weekly drawing held late on Sunday evenings for a $25.00 Am Ex/Visa Gift Card.
Weekly Gift Card winners will be posted in our blog at this site. Remember to become a FaceBook fan and “Like and Follow” either of our company pages to enter and post your answers.
The drawing entries 11/25/19 thru 12/1/19 are:
11/25/19
Andrea Somers
Suzie Mize Lockhart
Amanda Reid
Barbara Austin
Jane Peterson
Brandi K Chaney
Dawn Marie
Lena Perry
Amanda Rosario
Kristina Harris
Kim Avery
Dawn Raasch
Deborah Thomas
Terry Schmitt Sutton
Marilyn Wall
Cathy Ahner
Tracy Heyer
Cheryl Stoker Hall
Steve Ahner
Stephen Earl
11/26/19
Andrea Somers
Joanie Waterman
Lauren Bradley
Melinda Poullion
Dale Fish
Jill Nauyokas
Shannon Schleif
Trish Hysell
Nitasha Shank
Pamela White Brearley
Debbie Bloxom
Tony L Smoaks
April Ashcraft
Karen Brunet Moore
Wendi Black
Rhonda Grisham
Tracy Heyer
Kimberly Taylor Hall
Debbie Garretson
Haley Babineau
Madeline Lonergan
11/27/19
Nicole Blaha
Theresa Signourney
Sheila Carvell
Sherry Lilly
Brittany Doerfler
Patricia Oehlert Vazquez
Melinda Poullion
Andrea Somers
Debbie Garretson
Maria Bouchard
Alicia Dansby
Thomas Ryan Gan
Andrea Ayala
Jenifer Garza
Gina Rock
Danyel Leigh Walentin
Wendi Black
Tina Auth
Amy Flecknoe Moyer
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Alana Dimambro
Karyn Koehler
Dawn Raasch
11/28/19
Wendi Black
Katie Santos
Alyssa DiFazio
Chantal Bell
Kendra Lynne Ramsey
Katrina Jordan-Worford
Jessica Steiner
Jennifer Ramlet
Adaria Johnson
Tiffany Borek
Crystal Young
Becky VanGinkel
Chandra Beckwith
Dave Miller
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Sheila Carvell
Jennifer Vega
Robin Griffitts Pratt
Jean Simmons Homfeld
Lisa Marie Ferraiolo Whitener
Lori Capobianco
11/29/19
Shannon Scott
Jennifer Ramlet
Vickie Gipson
April Ashcraft
Melinda Poullion
Barbara Austin
Dean Bruss
Alana Dimambro
Mandi Smith
Andrea Somers
Brooke Shelby Rae
April Ashcraft
Joann Tompkins-Winborn
Deidra Dees
Misty Shallcross
Mya Murphy
Debbie Gremlin
Kendra Lynne Ramsey
Jennifer Marie
Alyssa DiFazio
Marilyn Wall
Brittany Seiler
Derek Jennings
11/30/19
Martha Prescott
MarTez Rodgers
Karen Bondehagen
Sarah Bellestri Shih
Cathy Ahner
Eleazar Ruiz
Steve Ahner
Christy Hawkes
Barbara Austin
Stephen Earl
Nancy Pfirrman Schools
Rhonda Grisham
Kim Avery
Jay Robert
Bryan Jared
Mike Wallace
Jeannie Prosser
Debbie Bloxom
Cindy Quisenberry
Karen Brunet Moore
Robin Jedele
Jeremy Mclaughlin
12/1/19
Nelle Bailey
Stephanie Beckwith
Tracy Shafer
Janice McKay Donahue
Amanda Rosario
Kassie Lynn DiFazio
Jenai Merri
Kimberly Snyder
Amanda Justice
Tiffany Greene Elliott
Holly Cajigas
Kristina Harris
Sarah Harrison
Donna Blankenship
Anna Nichols
Debbie Gremlin
Melissa White
Jennifer Lang
Marilyn Wall
Debbie Bloxom
Melissa Ann Stura-Bassett
Tammy Lee Stookey
Be sure to watch both of our FaceBook pages for your chance to win and enter again next week, with questions posted daily on HealthInsurance4Everyone or at Health & Life Solutions, LLC!!
Remember that if you try your hand at answering the Trivia Question several days each week, your odds of winning the Sunday weekly drawing are much better.
Also note that a number of the posted answers each day are from contestants who have forgotten to “Like” one of our pages, so their names WILL NOT be entered at the end week drawing for the gift card, giving our fans a better chance!
You may also find that if you “Like” BOTH of the business pages, you will receive faster notifications of the other players as they post their answers to compete with you! 
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At Health Insurance 4 Everyone, we not only want to improve our customer service but also interact with our customers on a social media level that wasn’t available before. Interested in connecting with us? Look us up on….
Twitter: Healthinsurane4 (Follow Us On Twitter To Receive Faster Notifications When Daily Trivia Questions Posted, & To Be Immediately Notified When Weekly AmEX Gift Card Winners Are Announced!!)
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