Author: KJ McElrath

Nursing Home Employees: Overworked, Underpaid and Endangering Our Family

Nursing Home Employees: Overworked, Underpaid and Endangering Our Family

Posted by | May 29, 2015 | |

One of the causes of the ongoing scandals of elder abuse in nursing homes and assisted living facilities has not had a great deal of discussion – but it is very much part of the problem. It is quite understandable that nursing home workers are often vilified, as these workers are often (though not always) the perpetrators. However, because these cases receive so much attention in the media, it is too easy to forget that most nursing home workers are well-trained, competent, and caring. They are also struggling. Case in point – Nicole Jefferson, a certified nursing assistant. In...

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Nestle Continues To Make Huge Profits Selling Us Water (We Already Own)

Nestle Continues To Make Huge Profits Selling Us Water (We Already Own)

Posted by | May 21, 2015 | |

A human can survive without food for as long as forty days. Without water however, s/he will be dead within three, four days at the most. Nestle CEO Peter Brabeck – currently one of the most hated people in the world – is acutely aware of this. To be fair, Brabeck did not literally say that humans have no right to water. What he did say (translated from German) is “Water is…the most important raw material we have…it is a question of whether we should privatize the normal water supply for the population…the one opinion, which I think is extreme, is...

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Civil Disobedience is All That Might Hold Our Democracy Together

Civil Disobedience is All That Might Hold Our Democracy Together

Posted by | May 21, 2015 | , |

What can be done when elected (so-called) representatives stop representing the ones who elected them? Let’s raise the stakes a little: what if their inaction and even refusal to represent their constituents constitute a threat to a community, a delicate ecosystem or even life on the planet itself? In fact, according to a recent study at Princeton University, unless you are in the upper 10% of income “earners” (let’s face it, a lot of the economic “elites” did little to earn their wealth), CON-gress doesn’t give a tinker’s damn what you think or what you need. It confirms everything...

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Congress and AmTrak Think They are Fully Protected in the Philadelphia Derailment, But Are They?

Congress and AmTrak Think They are Fully Protected in the Philadelphia Derailment, But Are They?

Posted by | May 20, 2015 | |

Congress and AmTrak believe that the total exposure for the eight persons killed and more than 200 injured in the Philadelphia Derailment that occurred when its train was traveling more than 100 mph into a curve is limited to a total of $200 million. But we’re only seeing the beginning of the litigation. The first lawsuit was filed on May 14 by a dispatcher who suffered broken bones and traumatic brain injury when he was tossed around the coach as the speeding train left the tracks. He and his wife are seeking $150,000 each – for starters, at least....

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GOP Congress: Accomplices to Negligent Homicide?

GOP Congress: Accomplices to Negligent Homicide?

Posted by | May 18, 2015 | , |

It was on an August night more than seventy-five years ago that a passenger streamliner known as the City of San Francisco, pride of three different railroads, suddenly left the tracks while traveling over a bridge in the Nevada desert. The train plunged full speed into the Humboldt River just west of Elko. Of the 220 people aboard, twenty-four lost their lives. A subsequent investigation confirmed that a rail had been deliberately moved, strongly indicating that it had been sabotage. However, though dozens of suspects were questioned, no-one was ever charged with the crime. Over three-quarters of a century...

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