January 30, 2014

Louisiana high court reverses $258 million verdict against J&J regarding Risperdal

Amid the icy sleet of a Southern winter storm, the Louisiana Supreme Court socked the state with the reversal of a $258 million jury verdict.

The court ruled that state Attorney General Buddy Caldwell failed to prove a cause of action against pharmaceutical giants Johnson & Johnson and Janssen Pharmaceutica Inc. in the marketing of an antipsychotic drug called Risperdal. The state claimed the companies downplayed the drug’s health risks to gain market advantage for the drug, which treats schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.

Caldwell said Wednesday that he will study the decision before determining whether to file an application for the full court to rehear the issue.

Janssen issued a statement expressing gratification at the court’s ruling. “We are pleased that the Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled in our favor. Since this lawsuit was filed against us, we have maintained that we did not violate Louisiana’s Medical Assistance Programs Integrity Law,” the company said.

More at http://theadvocate.com/home/8235773-125/la-high-court-reverses-258 .

January 30, 2014

Texas Democrats Call for Investigation Into Illegal Election Activity By Rockwall County Clerk

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The Texas Democratic Party is calling for an investigation into illegal election activity that occurred at the Rockwall County Clerk's office. Rockwall County Clerk Shelli Miller posted on Facebook that individuals could purchase tickets to a Rockwall County GOP fundraiser at the County Clerk's office.

It is against the law to use public governmental facilities for partisan political fundraising activities.

A Rockwall County taxpayer, Stephen Jacobs, heard about the ticket sales and went to the office to determine if this was true. He was able to purchase a ticket to the dinner, which features presumed GOP Gubernatorial nominee Greg Abbott.

"I was shocked that the county clerk would be fundraising for partisan political events at a public office," said Jacobs. "As a Rockwall County taxpayer, I know that this is not where my tax dollars should be going."

More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14727/texas-democrats-call-for-investigation-into-illegal-election-activity-by-rockwall-county-clerk .

January 30, 2014

Here's How That Anti-Battleground Texas Video Was Deceptively Edited

The video released last week by convicted criminal James O'Keeffe about Wendy Davis and Battleground Texas is the latest in the man's stream of falsified videos claiming to depict something they don't. O'Keeffe's work is found falsified at every turn. He was even arrested in 2010 for trying to manipulate the phones in a Democratic senator's office. Even Glenn Beck has discredited O'Keeffe's work.

At numerous points, O'Keeffe simply used audio splicing to edit the video in the direction he wanted. The final product was a video that made Battleground Texas volunteers look disrespectful and callous, but that appearance is little more than a cheap hack job by the chief conservative "gonzo" hack.

A primary impact of the video is that it appears volunteers are laughing at Abbott's wheelchair confinement. This "looks to be the work of creative audio splicing," the Texas Tribune explains. When an unidentified woman at a bar says Abbott is "not good looking. He doesn't speak very well, he doesn't have a very good personality and he's in a wheelchair," no one in the raw footage laughs. But in O'Keeffe's video, "the comment appears to provoke derisive laughter". Derisive laughter which wasn't there.

In fact, supporters only laugh at a later comment made about Greg Abbott's hair (presumably also about Rick Perry's famous hair). In the video, a hacking laugh comes after the wheelchair comment. The Austin-American Statesman called this the "most egregious edit of all," one among a "few problems" with the video.

More at http://www.burntorangereport.com/diary/14728/heres-how-that-antibattleground-texas-video-was-deceptively-edited .

January 30, 2014

Poorer school districts still shortchanged in Texas, expert says

AUSTIN — The state only slightly reduced big funding gaps between richer and poorer school districts last year, a representative for hundreds of districts told a judge Wednesday.

Wayne Pierce, executive director of the Equity Center, testified that elementary schools in wealthier districts still have an average $73,000 more per classroom to spend than schools in the state’s poorest districts.

That funding advantage exists even though the poorest 15 percent of school districts have significantly higher tax rates than the wealthiest 15 percent, Pierce said.

“The [funding] gaps remain exceedingly large,” he said. “We have an irrational system with layers of irrational funding factors.”

More at http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/headlines/20140129-poorer-school-districts-still-shortchanged-in-texas-expert-says.ece .

January 30, 2014

Hey Rush

January 30, 2014

Alabama Hospitals To Pregnant Women – "Sorry, honey, we won’t help you here."

It's what every pregnant woman fears. There she is excited to be pregnant for the first time. She is finally getting over the morning sickness, and she and her husband have just shared the happy news with their friends and family. Then, one night the unimaginable happens. She is lying in bed and she begins to feel immense pain and cramping. She knows something isn't right. She goes to the bathroom and she sees blood. Quickly, she wakes up her husband and the two of them rush to the emergency room.

All miscarriages can be devastating. But, for women in Alabama, this nightmare could soon get a lot worse. This week, the Alabama Senate is set to consider a cruel bill (HB 31) that would permit the hospital staff, including any doctor, nurse, counselor, or lab technician, to refuse to participate in any phase of patient medical care related to ending a pregnancy, even if that is what a patient like this woman needs to protect her own health and future fertility.

Yes, you heard that right. Under this law, if you or a loved one is pregnant and go to an emergency room in Alabama because of serious complications, every medical professional in that emergency room could refuse to help you if the care you needed to protect you from serious harm to your health required ending the pregnancy.

"That can't be true," you say. "How could a doctor at my local hospital turn me away and refuse to treat me? Isn't that malpractice?"

More at https://www.aclu.org/blog/reproductive-freedom-womens-rights/alabama-hospitals-pregnant-women-sorry-honey-we-wont-help .

January 30, 2014

Academia Explained

January 30, 2014

Centenary College in Shreveport follows Obama's lead, raises minimum wage to $10.10

Source: AP

Centenary College is taking to heart President Barack Obama's call to raise the minimum wage.

Centenary's president, David Rowe, said Wednesday that the wage scale is increasing for its regular, full-time and part-time staff members effective immediately.

The new minimum wage at Centenary is now $10.10.

Obama announced in his State of the Union address Tuesday that he will sign an executive order setting the minimum wage for workers covered by new federal contracts at $10.10 an hour. The current federal minimum is $7.25.

Read more: http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/01/centenary_college_in_shrevepor.html#incart_river_default

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Full disclosure: David Rowe is a fellow alum from the 1987 class of Southwestern University.

David also persuaded two major vendors (National Resource Management and Sodexo) to raise their minimum wage to $10.10 for campus employees.

Way to go David!!!

January 30, 2014

Police: Bieber to turn self in on charge in Canada

TORONTO (AP) — A police official says Justin Bieber is expected to turn himself in to face an assault charge in Toronto.

The official says the charge has to do with an alleged assault on a limo driver in December. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Toronto police said in December they were looking into allegations that a member of Bieber's entourage assaulted a limo driver who was driving the Canadian pop star and several others. Police said at the time that it was unclear whether Bieber was involved.

A spokesman for Bieber had no comment Wednesday.

Source: http://www.chron.com/news/crime/article/Police-Bieber-to-turn-self-in-on-charge-in-Canada-5186970.php?cmpid=hpbn

[font color=green]Note: I deemed this not worthy to be in LBN.[/font]

January 29, 2014

Wendy Davis is "Using Her Kids" Now, Fox News Says

If there was ever any doubt that the debate over the fudged details in Wendy Davis' bio had completely jumped the shark, confirmation came this week in the form of unsolicited parenting advice the Democratic gubernatorial candidate was offered by Bristol Palin.

Yet the story continues, feeding on itself in a seemingly inexhaustible cycle of misogyny and righteous indignation.

On Tuesday, it was Davis who gave the story a couple days' more fuel, countering the right's claim that she abandoned her two daughters (they lived with their father post-divorce, and Davis was required to pay child support) with heartfelt testimonials from each.

-snip-

It's only natural that Davis' daughters, the subject of so much moralizing and finger-wagging, would feel the need to speak out, and that the campaign would provide them a forum. Also natural (or at least predictable) is the right's response, summed up neatly in this Fox News headline:



More at http://blogs.dallasobserver.com/unfairpark/2014/01/wendy_davis_fox_news_using_dau.php .