Tainted dog food and now defects in a product that propels humans at high speeds in vehicles that crash and are known to cause significant injury and death. Chinese tire manufacturer, Hangzhou Zhongce Rubber Co., chose not to add a gum strip that binds the treads together. Tire separation in […]
Category: Blog
Television comedians have a field day with jokes about elderly drivers, and with its concentration of retirees, Florida is often the butt of the joke. I have a Florida friend who calls white-haired drivers “no-see-ums.” Not because, like the biting midges, they are so tiny we can’t see ‘em, but […]
If you are a parent or a grandparent, the initial frustration of locking a small child into the web of buckles and straps of a car seat is followed by a sigh of relief: now she will be safe. And that same peace of mind takes over when you remind […]
Every time voters are asked to consider a referendum that limits citizens’ constitutional rights to seek justice from wrongdoers, the same catchy phrase echoes the airwaves: “Stop frivolous lawsuits!” Well, who wouldn’t buy that? “Frivolous” has little weight or importance, has no sound basis, lacks seriousness. Paris Hilton is frivolous. […]
The public relations spin on recent public health disasters caused by harmful food or drug products prompted me to think about what the word “voluntary” means in this context. For example, the consumer advocacy website www.consumeraffairs.com reports, “Days after its Peter Pan peanut butter and its generic counterpart, Great Value, […]
When a Denver, Colorado jury convicted former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio on 19 counts of securities fraud, prosecutor Colleen Conry did not mince words: “If you don’t tell, you can’t sell.” It’s about time. The American public’s eyes glaze over as the evening news reports yet another multi-billion dollar scam […]
Railroad accidents, while not as common as those involving trucks and cars, are often the most gruesome. We are fascinated by television footage of flattened railroad cars, scattered belongings, and shell-shocked passengers. But when we’re in a hurry, it is tempting to ignore the flashing lights at a clearly-marked crossing […]
The New York Times reports that Pfizer – one of the biggest and most aggressive of the Big Drug Companies – has ventured off into la-la-land in its latest television commercials for Viagra. They are being aired only in Canada so far, but Americans are going to love them. And […]
A recent Maryland truck accident dramatically highlights not only the deadly consequences of poor enforcement of Federal truck safety standards, but trucking companies’ ho-hum attitudes toward compliance with these standards. It seems that an accident in Prince Georges County, Maryland that killed one man and injured two others was caused […]
At the end of April, the FDA showed signs of coming to its senses on COX-2 inhibitors and voted 20-1 to reject Merck’s application for the painkiller Arcoxia. Like its parent painkiller Vioxx, Arcoxia was associated with increased cardiac risks in randomized clinical trials. Public Citizen’s Dr. Sidney Wolfe, director […]
