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FakeNoose
FakeNoose's Journal
FakeNoose's Journal
June 29, 2023
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/business/supreme-court-ruling-pennsylvania-law-business-lawsuits-20230628.html
- more at link -
Scotus justices split 5-4. Justices who voted for the majority: Gorsuch, Thomas, Sotomayor, Jackson and Alito. Dissenting justices: Barrett, Kagan, Kavanaugh and Roberts.
Pennsylvania is the only state with this law. A Supreme Court ruling just upheld it
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/business/supreme-court-ruling-pennsylvania-law-business-lawsuits-20230628.html
The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday narrowly ruled to uphold a Pennsylvania law that requires corporations doing business in the commonwealth to consent to being sued in its courts. The rule is unusual because it allows corporations to be sued by anyone, for conduct anywhere, in Pennsylvania courts. Pennsylvania is the only state with this type of statute.
The decision was made in the case of Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway. The plaintiff, Robert Mallory, was a freight-car mechanic for Norfolk Southern for 20 years. After being diagnosed with cancer, Mallory attributed his diagnosis to his time with the company and sued Norfolk Southern.
At the time of his original complaint, Mallory was living in Virginia, where the company is also incorporated, but he filed the suit in Pennsylvania and pointed to Norfolk Southerns presence in Pennsylvania, noting that Norfolk Southern manages over 2,000 miles of track, operates 11 rail yards, and runs three locomotive repair shops in Pennsylvania, the SCOTUS ruling said.
The U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturned an earlier judgment from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that sided with Norfolk Southern, which had challenged Mallorys suit and claimed it violated the due-process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The decision was made in the case of Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway. The plaintiff, Robert Mallory, was a freight-car mechanic for Norfolk Southern for 20 years. After being diagnosed with cancer, Mallory attributed his diagnosis to his time with the company and sued Norfolk Southern.
At the time of his original complaint, Mallory was living in Virginia, where the company is also incorporated, but he filed the suit in Pennsylvania and pointed to Norfolk Southerns presence in Pennsylvania, noting that Norfolk Southern manages over 2,000 miles of track, operates 11 rail yards, and runs three locomotive repair shops in Pennsylvania, the SCOTUS ruling said.
The U.S. Supreme Courts decision overturned an earlier judgment from the Pennsylvania Supreme Court that sided with Norfolk Southern, which had challenged Mallorys suit and claimed it violated the due-process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
- more at link -
Scotus justices split 5-4. Justices who voted for the majority: Gorsuch, Thomas, Sotomayor, Jackson and Alito. Dissenting justices: Barrett, Kagan, Kavanaugh and Roberts.
June 28, 2023
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-new-public-restroom-name-poll-20230628.html
After deciding on its new, spiffy, up-to-date public bathrooms for city parks and public areas ...
- more at link -
Philadelphia took a "Potty Poll" to rename its new outdoor public bathrooms
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/news/philadelphia/philadelphia-new-public-restroom-name-poll-20230628.html
After deciding on its new, spiffy, up-to-date public bathrooms for city parks and public areas ...
... the Philadelphia Department of Public Health must have known Philadelphians wouldnt take too kindly to the city calling its new public restrooms "Portland Loos," even though that is their actual name.
So last Friday, the department put out an online Potty Poll asking the public to help pick a Philly-related name for the six stand-alone bathrooms that will be part of its pilot public restroom project.
- snip -
Though the citys poll only offered three predetermined names for people to vote on Phlush, Philly Loo, or Philly Public Restroom Philadelphians were more than happy to flush out their own creative ideas on Twitter. There were very few stinkers among the suggestions.
Porta Jawn received an especially high number of entries, along with other punny names like Philly Jawn and Jawnny on the Spot.
So last Friday, the department put out an online Potty Poll asking the public to help pick a Philly-related name for the six stand-alone bathrooms that will be part of its pilot public restroom project.
- snip -
Though the citys poll only offered three predetermined names for people to vote on Phlush, Philly Loo, or Philly Public Restroom Philadelphians were more than happy to flush out their own creative ideas on Twitter. There were very few stinkers among the suggestions.
Porta Jawn received an especially high number of entries, along with other punny names like Philly Jawn and Jawnny on the Spot.
- more at link -
June 28, 2023
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/news/bucks-county-catalytic-converter-theft-ring-millions-20230627.html
- more at link -
If anyone is missing a catalytic converter in eastern PA in the last few years, these guys probably stole it and fenced it.
Bucks County DA announces bust of $8.2 million catalytic converter theft ring
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/news/bucks-county-catalytic-converter-theft-ring-millions-20230627.html
More than two dozen law enforcement agencies from across Pennsylvania and New Jersey joined forces to dismantle a catalytic converter theft ring based in Philadelphia that stole millions of dollars worth of the automobile parts, authorities said Tuesday. Bucks County District Attorney Matt Weintraub said at a news conference that his office had charged 10 adults, one juvenile, and a Philadelphia tow yard for running a sprawling operation that stole around 2,000 of the exhaust emission devices in the region.
TDI Towing of Port Richmond was the main buyer of the stolen catalytic converters, he said. The tow yard paid thieves about $300 for each device and bought an average of 175 catalytic converters per week, said Weintraub. From 2020 to 2023, TDI Towing purchased an estimated 27,300 catalytic converters for a total of $8.2 million, he said.
TDI Towing owner Michael Williams, 52, whom Weintraub dubbed the kingpin of the operation, was charged with counts including criminal conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and related crimes. His business faces similar charges. Also charged with those crimes were a group of his employees including cutters, who sheared the catalytic converters from cars to steal them. Many of Williams employees were related to him, authorities said.
Charging the company was a first for his office, said Weintraub, and he said he hoped that would serve as a deterrent for other organizations that might seek to commit similar crimes. Our goal? To put them out of business. Forever, he said. A corporate death sentence.
TDI Towing of Port Richmond was the main buyer of the stolen catalytic converters, he said. The tow yard paid thieves about $300 for each device and bought an average of 175 catalytic converters per week, said Weintraub. From 2020 to 2023, TDI Towing purchased an estimated 27,300 catalytic converters for a total of $8.2 million, he said.
TDI Towing owner Michael Williams, 52, whom Weintraub dubbed the kingpin of the operation, was charged with counts including criminal conspiracy, dealing in proceeds of unlawful activity, and related crimes. His business faces similar charges. Also charged with those crimes were a group of his employees including cutters, who sheared the catalytic converters from cars to steal them. Many of Williams employees were related to him, authorities said.
Charging the company was a first for his office, said Weintraub, and he said he hoped that would serve as a deterrent for other organizations that might seek to commit similar crimes. Our goal? To put them out of business. Forever, he said. A corporate death sentence.
- more at link -
If anyone is missing a catalytic converter in eastern PA in the last few years, these guys probably stole it and fenced it.
June 27, 2023
(NOAA link) https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/610day/index.php
We're missing most of this awful hot, sticky weather in southwestern Pennsylvania. But it looks really nasty in Texas and the southern states. Please be careful if you need to go outside. Drink lots of water, don't forget your sunblock.
Heat Index Forecast for the next 6 days (whew!)
(NOAA link) https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/610day/index.php
We're missing most of this awful hot, sticky weather in southwestern Pennsylvania. But it looks really nasty in Texas and the southern states. Please be careful if you need to go outside. Drink lots of water, don't forget your sunblock.
June 27, 2023
(AHNC link) http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com/
All Hat No Cattle: Americans Who Stole Top Secret Documents
(AHNC link) http://all-hat-no-cattle.blogspot.com/
June 26, 2023
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/06/24/poison-hemlock-pa/stories/202306250077
- more at link -
If only the stink bugs and the spotted lanternflies would just go build their nests on the poison hemlock plants, all our problems would be solved.
Poison hemlock is in bloom in Western Pennsylvania and -- while pretty -- it's 'a very toxic plant'
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette link: https://www.post-gazette.com/news/health/2023/06/24/poison-hemlock-pa/stories/202306250077
Last month, Aspinwall officials got a report from a resident that they didnt quite know what to do with: a patch of poison hemlock was growing in the boroughs Firemans Memorial Park, on a walking trail next to a playground.
We were surprised and confused, said Aspinwall borough manager Melissa OMalley. Weve had that park for over 50 years and weve never had to deal with it.
Poison hemlock is a highly toxic plant in the carrot family that can grow up to 12 feet tall. If any part of the plant is ingested, it can cause dizziness, paralysis and even death from respiratory failure. Touching the plant causes a rash in some people, and inhaling particles from the plant or having sap from the plant come in contact with cuts can also be dangerous.
- snip -
The plant is a biennial, meaning that it takes two years to complete its life cycle. In year one, poison hemlock grows as a small rosette, just leaves close to the ground in a circular pattern. In year two, a thick stem with distinctive purple blotches shoots up, and the plant flowers and drops seed. A single plant can produce more than 30,000 seeds, which can stay in the soil for years. The best time to control the plant with an herbicide is in its first year or early in the second year. By the time it shoots up in year two, controlling it chemically is ineffectual.
We were surprised and confused, said Aspinwall borough manager Melissa OMalley. Weve had that park for over 50 years and weve never had to deal with it.
Poison hemlock is a highly toxic plant in the carrot family that can grow up to 12 feet tall. If any part of the plant is ingested, it can cause dizziness, paralysis and even death from respiratory failure. Touching the plant causes a rash in some people, and inhaling particles from the plant or having sap from the plant come in contact with cuts can also be dangerous.
- snip -
The plant is a biennial, meaning that it takes two years to complete its life cycle. In year one, poison hemlock grows as a small rosette, just leaves close to the ground in a circular pattern. In year two, a thick stem with distinctive purple blotches shoots up, and the plant flowers and drops seed. A single plant can produce more than 30,000 seeds, which can stay in the soil for years. The best time to control the plant with an herbicide is in its first year or early in the second year. By the time it shoots up in year two, controlling it chemically is ineffectual.
- more at link -
If only the stink bugs and the spotted lanternflies would just go build their nests on the poison hemlock plants, all our problems would be solved.
June 24, 2023
PA House Co-sponsorship Memoranda (link) https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20230&cosponId=41045
Screenshot:
(no more at link)
I don't know, this seems like a lower-priority item right now. Let's save democracy first, and then we can start worrying about how the PA flag should be redesigned later.
Is it time to redesign the Pennsylvania state flag? Rep. Joe Webster thinks so
PA House Co-sponsorship Memoranda (link) https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=H&SPick=20230&cosponId=41045
Screenshot:
(no more at link)
I don't know, this seems like a lower-priority item right now. Let's save democracy first, and then we can start worrying about how the PA flag should be redesigned later.
June 23, 2023
Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum
- more at link -
So ... I'm just wondering ... if you had it to do over again, would you do anything differently?
June 23, 2016 was the day the UK voted for Brexit
Wikipedia link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_United_Kingdom_European_Union_membership_referendum
On 23 June 2016, a referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country should remain a member of, or leave, the European Union (EU). It was organised and facilitated through the European Union Referendum Act 2015 and the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000. The referendum resulted in 51.9% of the votes cast being in favour of leaving the EU. Although the referendum was legally non-binding, the government of the time promised to implement the result.
Membership of the EU had long been a topic of debate in the United Kingdom. The country joined the European Communities (EC), principally the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market, the forerunner to the European Union, in 1973, along with the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom). A referendum on continued membership of the Communities was held in 1975, with 67.2% of the votes cast in favour of Britain remaining a member.
In May 2015, following a Conservative Party manifesto pledge, the legal basis for the EU referendum was established through the European Union Referendum Act 2015. Britain Stronger in Europe became the official group campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU, and was endorsed by the Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne. Vote Leave was the official group campaigning for the UK to leave the EU, and was fronted by Conservative MPs Boris Johnson and Michael Gove along with Labour MP Gisela Stuart. Other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, trade unions, newspapers and prominent individuals were also involved, with both sides having supporters from across the political spectrum. Parties in favour of 'remain' included Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru and the Green Party; while the UK Independence Party (UKIP) campaigned in favour of leaving the European Union;[8] and the Conservative Party remained neutral. In spite of the official positions of the Conservative Party and Labour, both parties allowed their MPs to publicly campaign for either side of the issue.
Immediately after the result, financial markets reacted negatively worldwide, and Cameron announced that he would resign as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, having campaigned unsuccessfully to remain in the European Union. It was the first time that a national referendum result had gone against the preferred option of the UK Government. Cameron was succeeded by Theresa May on 13 July 2016. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also faced a leadership challenge as a result of the EU referendum. On 29 March 2017, the United Kingdom gave formal notice of intent to withdraw from the EU.
Membership of the EU had long been a topic of debate in the United Kingdom. The country joined the European Communities (EC), principally the European Economic Community (EEC) or Common Market, the forerunner to the European Union, in 1973, along with the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), and the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC or Euratom). A referendum on continued membership of the Communities was held in 1975, with 67.2% of the votes cast in favour of Britain remaining a member.
In May 2015, following a Conservative Party manifesto pledge, the legal basis for the EU referendum was established through the European Union Referendum Act 2015. Britain Stronger in Europe became the official group campaigning for the UK to remain in the EU, and was endorsed by the Prime Minister David Cameron and Chancellor George Osborne. Vote Leave was the official group campaigning for the UK to leave the EU, and was fronted by Conservative MPs Boris Johnson and Michael Gove along with Labour MP Gisela Stuart. Other campaign groups, political parties, businesses, trade unions, newspapers and prominent individuals were also involved, with both sides having supporters from across the political spectrum. Parties in favour of 'remain' included Labour, the Liberal Democrats, the Scottish National Party (SNP), Plaid Cymru and the Green Party; while the UK Independence Party (UKIP) campaigned in favour of leaving the European Union;[8] and the Conservative Party remained neutral. In spite of the official positions of the Conservative Party and Labour, both parties allowed their MPs to publicly campaign for either side of the issue.
Immediately after the result, financial markets reacted negatively worldwide, and Cameron announced that he would resign as Prime Minister and Leader of the Conservative Party, having campaigned unsuccessfully to remain in the European Union. It was the first time that a national referendum result had gone against the preferred option of the UK Government. Cameron was succeeded by Theresa May on 13 July 2016. Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn also faced a leadership challenge as a result of the EU referendum. On 29 March 2017, the United Kingdom gave formal notice of intent to withdraw from the EU.
- more at link -
So ... I'm just wondering ... if you had it to do over again, would you do anything differently?
June 23, 2023
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/health/mark-cuban-drug-costs-drew-katz-rare-disease-20230623.html
- more at link -
To learn more about Cost Plus Drugs (link): https://costplusdrugs.com/
Stories about Mark Cuban and Cost Plus Drugs have been posted before on DU, and this is the most recent. The company is not a pharmaceutical manufacturer; they partner with manufacturers so that generic (no-brand) drugs are available to average Americans at amazing low prices. (I have no financial interest in this company or any other pharmaceutical company.)
How Mark Cuban helped a Cherry Hill business exec cut prices for the drug that keeps him alive
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/health/mark-cuban-drug-costs-drew-katz-rare-disease-20230623.html
For decades, the drug that keeps Drew Katz alive sold for less than $1 a pill. Then its manufacturer started to raise the list price slowly at first, then sharply, increasing it in 2015 to more than $200 a dose. Even when generic versions came along to treat the condition, called Wilson disease, the price stayed high.
It made no sense to Katz, 51, who needs the drug to prevent a toxic buildup of copper in his body. A Cherry Hill business executive and the son of the late Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz, he can afford the medication. But he knew others could not and it outraged him that the price didnt seem to follow the laws of supply and demand.
Unlike most patients with a rare disease, Katz was in a position to take on the problem. Through his familys NBA connections, he knew another businessman who had experience with the opaque world of U.S. drug pricing: billionaire Mark Cuban.
The result: Cost Plus Drug Co., an online pharmacy that Cuban cofounded, is collaborating with a generic drug maker, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, to sell the drug direct to consumers for $3.55 a pill. In announcing the plan on Tuesday, Cost Plus also said it would sell an alternative treatment for about $4.40 a pill.
It made no sense to Katz, 51, who needs the drug to prevent a toxic buildup of copper in his body. A Cherry Hill business executive and the son of the late Inquirer co-owner Lewis Katz, he can afford the medication. But he knew others could not and it outraged him that the price didnt seem to follow the laws of supply and demand.
Unlike most patients with a rare disease, Katz was in a position to take on the problem. Through his familys NBA connections, he knew another businessman who had experience with the opaque world of U.S. drug pricing: billionaire Mark Cuban.
The result: Cost Plus Drug Co., an online pharmacy that Cuban cofounded, is collaborating with a generic drug maker, Dr. Reddys Laboratories, to sell the drug direct to consumers for $3.55 a pill. In announcing the plan on Tuesday, Cost Plus also said it would sell an alternative treatment for about $4.40 a pill.
- more at link -
To learn more about Cost Plus Drugs (link): https://costplusdrugs.com/
Stories about Mark Cuban and Cost Plus Drugs have been posted before on DU, and this is the most recent. The company is not a pharmaceutical manufacturer; they partner with manufacturers so that generic (no-brand) drugs are available to average Americans at amazing low prices. (I have no financial interest in this company or any other pharmaceutical company.)
June 23, 2023
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/health/nursing-home-survey-senate-aging-committee-bob-casey-20230622.html
This article has a paywall (sorry). If anyone can post a link to a gift article please do so.
- more at link -
Just to be clear, Senator Casey is talking about all the nursing homes in the country, not just Pennsylvania. Last month the Aging Committee released a report "Uninspected and Neglected" that outlines the findings of its investigation into nursing home oversight.
You may download the PDF version of the report here: https://www.aging.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/UNINSPECTED%20&%20NEGLECTED%20-%20FINAL%20REPORT.pdf
Sen. Bob Casey worries that nursing homes are 'uninspected and neglected'
Philadelphia Inquirer link: https://www.inquirer.com/health/nursing-home-survey-senate-aging-committee-bob-casey-20230622.html
This article has a paywall (sorry). If anyone can post a link to a gift article please do so.
Sen. Bob Casey worries that many of the 1 million-plus people living in 15,000 nursing homes across the United States are in facilities that havent been inspected for a long time. About one in four nursing homes hadnt been inspected in at least 16 months, as required by federal law.
As the chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Democrat from Pennsylvanias staff spent the past year investigating nursing home oversight. They found that state inspection agencies are chronically understaffed. The Pennsylvania Department of Health, for example, has been hiring retired inspectors on a limited capacity to try to fill in the gap.
Its a really long standing problem, Casey said. We dont have the investment in quality that we should have.
The Inquirer spoke to Casey about the findings of the investigation, and why he fears the problem may worsen.
As the chairman of the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, the Democrat from Pennsylvanias staff spent the past year investigating nursing home oversight. They found that state inspection agencies are chronically understaffed. The Pennsylvania Department of Health, for example, has been hiring retired inspectors on a limited capacity to try to fill in the gap.
Its a really long standing problem, Casey said. We dont have the investment in quality that we should have.
The Inquirer spoke to Casey about the findings of the investigation, and why he fears the problem may worsen.
- more at link -
Just to be clear, Senator Casey is talking about all the nursing homes in the country, not just Pennsylvania. Last month the Aging Committee released a report "Uninspected and Neglected" that outlines the findings of its investigation into nursing home oversight.
You may download the PDF version of the report here: https://www.aging.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/UNINSPECTED%20&%20NEGLECTED%20-%20FINAL%20REPORT.pdf
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Name: Kathy HinsmanGender: Female
Hometown: Pittsburgh PA
Home country: USA
Current location: Pittsburgh
Member since: Sat Feb 18, 2017, 02:16 PM
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