In what is being called a “wrongful birth” case, a jury awarded more than $21 million to a couple who claimed a doctor misdiagnosed a severe birth defect in their son, leading them to have a second child with similar problems. But because the doctor works for the University of South Florida, the family will have to persuade the Legislature to award most of the money. State law limits negligence claims against government agencies at $200,000. Daniel and Amara Estrada, whose two young sons aren’t able to communicate and need constant care, sought at least enough money to care for the second child, 2-year-old Caleb. “This is a severely impaired child who will need a great deal of care for the rest of his life,” said Christian Searcy, one of the attorneys who tried the case. He called the award “conservative but fair.” The couple claimed that Dr. Boris Kousseff failed to diagnose their first son’s genetic disorder, called Smith-Lemli-Opitz syndrome, which is the inability to correctly produce or synthesize cholesterol, after his 2002 birth. Had the disorder been correctly diagnosed, a test would have indicated whether the couple’s second child also was afflicted and they would have terminated the pregnancy, according to the lawsuit. Instead, Kousseff, a specialist in genetic disorders, told them they should be able to have normal children in the future. The jury decided Monday that Kousseff was 90 percent negligent and that an Orlando doctor not named in the lawsuit was 10 percent at fault. A USF spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment Monday. Searcy said he would push state lawmakers to pass a bill awarding the Estradas money over the $200,000 cap. “I believe that this case is so powerful and this tragedy was so preventable and is so poignant, that it is the kind of case that should rise above the…

HD DVD for Xbox 360 Now $179
Blow by blow, the fight between Blu-ray and HD DVD entered a new round this week. On Wednesday, Target announced it would soon start selling a Blu-ray player exclusively in its stores, a major blow to the HD DVD format. But HD DVD landed a punch too, thanks to news from Microsoft that the HD DVD add-on to its Xbox 360 video game console would be reduced $20 and come bundled with five free movies. Target Joins Blockbuster Target said Wednesday that in October it will start selling the Sony BDP-S300 Blu-ray player, the first standalone next-gen player to be offered in its stores. It currently offers the Toshiba HD DVD player on its Web site, along with Sony’s PlayStation 3, which has a built-in Blu-ray player. Target said it will continue to sell DVDs in both high-definition formats in the stores, but will not stock HD DVD standalone players. Target also said that the players and Blu-ray DVDs from three studios will be displayed at the more-visible ends of aisles. For this “endcap” position, Sony is paying a placement fee. HD DVD players and discs have reportedly been shown in endcap positions at Circuit City and Best Buy. With Target’s announcement yesterday, the second largest retailer in the U.S. joins Blockbuster in the Blu-ray camp. In June, the video chain announced that it will offer only the Blu-ray DVD format for rental in 1,700 of its stores. The HD DVD format is still being offered through the company’s online channel, blockbuster.com, as well as through the 250 stores that currently carry both formats. HD Less Expensive Microsoft and other backers of the HD DVD format are trying to press their advantage in offering players that are less expensive than Blu-ray boxes. HD DVD players are now being sold for $299 at U.S….

DEA Raids LA medical Marijuana Clinics
Federal agents raided 10 marijuana clinics Wednesday, the same day city leaders introduced a measure calling for an end to the crackdown on the dispensaries allowed under state law. The bust netted five arrests, large quantities of marijuana and cash, and was the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration’s second-largest since California voters approved medical marijuana sales in 1996. The drug remains illegal under federal law. DEA spokeswoman Sarah Pullen said the timing of the bust and the city’s action was “purely coincidental.” The agency has maintained the clinics are distribution points for illegal drugs and earn their owners big profits. Those arrested Wednesday included clinic owners and managers, though no patients, for investigation of marijuana distribution. Councilman Dennis Zine, who earlier in the day wrote a letter to DEA Administrator Karen Tandy asking the agency to stop the raids, called the federal agents “bullies.” “Instead of using resources to go after drug dealers ruining neighborhoods and poisoning school kids, they’re going after individuals dying of cancer and suffering from AIDS who need cannabis to have any type of appetite,” Zine said. The clinics are largely unregulated, which Zine and others said invites illegal pot use and sales. He said he and the council support a congressional bill that would prohibit new clinics from opening until the city finds a way to better regulate its more than 100 dispensaries. It also calls for withholding funding for DEA raids on medical marijuana clinics. The council proposed Wednesday requiring existing dispensaries to obtain a city tax registration certificate, a seller’s permit, a property lease, business insurance, proof of dispensary membership and a county health permit within 60 days. DEA agents raided 11 Los Angeles-area dispensaries in one day in January, the largest-ever such crackdown by the agency. Earlier this month, the DEA sent letters to at least 30 landlords of marijuana dispensaries in Los…

Get detailed information on NATUS medical INC (baby)
Get detailed information on NATUS medical INC (baby) including quote performance, Real-Time ECN, technical chart analysis, key stats, insider transactions, and the …

MySpace Weeds Out 29,000 Sex Offenders
Law enforcement officials in two states have announced that the social-networking site MySpace has identified 29,000 registered sex offenders using its service. That’s more than four times the number identified by MySpace earlier this year, when it yielded to pressure from a group of state attorneys general to turn over the account information of convicted offenders. “The exploding epidemic of sex offender profiles on MySpace — 29,000 and counting — screams for action,” Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said in a statement. “Our information demands reveal shocking new skyrocketing numbers of convicted sex offender profiles on MySpace. Each of these 29,000 separate profiles reflects a potential predator willing and able to exploit a child.” Still More Offenders? The identification of the 29,000 registered sex offenders — enough to fill a small city — was aided by the fact that the individuals in question used their real names to sign up for their MySpace accounts. No one has offered any estimate as to how many registered sex offenders might have accounts under false identities. MySpace has been working on identifying sex offenders on its site since late last year, but began pursuing the issue more aggressively this spring. The company initially resisted requests from various attorneys general for individual account information, but then relented and turned over data for roughly 7,000 people identified as registered sex offenders. In numerous states, that information led to the arrest of persons who had violated their conditions of probation or parole by using the Internet. “These numbers dispel any doubt that age verification and other reforms are overdue and undeniable,” Blumenthal said. “Steadfast opposition by MySpace to age verification and parental permission for minors has no shred of credibility.” Social Networking Legislation The ongoing revelations regarding the number of registered sex offenders online has led to numerous legislative proposals to protect children….

July 12th, 2007: Cartoon #2902
‘Could you at least lay off the flash cards until we can see a head?’

Trash to Cash-Episode 1-A Garage Sale Adventure w/Lynn Dralle (Your guide to buying & selling at online auctions like ebay & Yahoo.)
Trash to Cash-Episode 1-A Garage Sale Adventure w/Lynn Dralle (Your guide to buying & selling at online auctions like ebay & Yahoo.) Lynn Dralle is a 3rd generation antiques dealer. She is an eBay Power Seller who sells up to $20,000 a month at online auction. She is an award winning author […]

87 percent of parents believe scholarships and grants will cover at least part of their children s undergraduate expenses
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My Scene Goes Hollywood Lindsay Lohan Doll Teenage actress Lindsay Lohan is re-created as a stylish My Scene doll following her role in the DVD movie My Scene Goes to Hollywood, where the gang is cast as extras in her movie. In her cartoon cameo, Lohan plays a gracious and down-to-earth movie star (which, […]

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