Miscellaneous

• LendingTree Notifies Clients of Security Breach

  Jamie Sheller | April 24, 2008 4:13 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  According to a recent newsreport, LendingTree experienced a breach in their security procedures. Five Southern California home lenders improperly tapped into the personal financial information of...

• 4.2 Million Credit & Debit Card Numbers Stolen from Hannaford

  Shannon Weidemann | March 23, 2008 4:55 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  The Hannaford Bros. Co. grocery store chain announced last week that the credit and debit card numbers of 4.2 Million customers had been stolen. The breach in security affected transactions at all of their stores along the east coast, as well as the Sweetbay grocery store chain in Florida. Normally credit card and debit card numbers are stolen from a database that has been breached by hackers,...

• Is affordable insurance a thing of the past?

  Jamie Sheller | December 05, 2007 1:34 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Due to increased payouts on homeowners insurance, companies have increased premiums and rewritten policies to limit payouts on claims. As pointed out in a recent New York Times article, certain leaders in insurance coverage have shifted the costs of doing business from the company onto the customer. In the article, the author notes that many policy holders do not know that changes have occurred...

• Are Suburban Drivers More Dangerous than Drivers in the City

  Jamie Sheller | October 31, 2007 11:47 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  According to a recent article in a Washington D.C. newspaper, drivers in the suburbs are more likely to die in an auto accident than their city counterparts. The article quotes a study conducted in 2006, by Professor William Lucy of the University of Virginia. In his study, more people die in the suburbs from auto accidents than people who drive in the city. He credits this trend to the fact...

• FDA Warns of Risk of Meningitis in Children with Cochlear Implants

  Jamie Sheller | October 16, 2007 11:14 AM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Earlier this week, the FDA notified healthcare providers that the Cochlear Implant device used in profoundly deaf or severely hard of hearing patients has been linked to an increase risk of meningitis in children. In particular, children with cochlear implants that have a positioner are at greater risk. Two children recently died from this infection. Those children had not received all...

• Ocean King Enterprises Inc. Recalls Seafood Dips Due to Possible Contamination

  Jenny Albano | August 16, 2007 10:00 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Ocean King Enterprises Inc., in conjunction with the FDA, is recalling certain Ready-to-Eat Seafood Dips because they may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. This bacteria can cause serious and potentially fatal infections in the young, elderly, and those with weak immune systems.The products were distribute through A&P warehouses in Maryland, Massachusetts, and New Jersey and were...

• The $65 Million Lawsuit - Don't Let One Bad Apple Spoil The Bunch

  Jamie Sheller | May 04, 2007 7:19 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  By now, everyone has heard about the $65 million lawsuit against a dry cleaners over a pair of lost pants. That the matter is ridiculous is immediately apparent. No matter what kind of math is involved, no lost pair of pants translates into $65 million of damages. However, even more absurd is the attempt to use this ridiculous lawsuit as a poster child for tort reform. Can anybody with...

• Deadly Bacterial Outbreak In Neonatal ICU Was Hospital's Fault

  Jamie Sheller | January 25, 2007 1:20 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Five infants became sick, and two infants died in December after an outbreak of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the neonatal ICU of White Memorial Medical Center in Los Angeles. The hospital closed the unit after the outbreak. In a recently released report, the California Department of Health Services linked the bacterial outbreak to improperly cleaned medical instruments. According to the health...

• Fire At A North Carolina Industrial Waste Plant Causes Evacuation

  Jamie Sheller | October 06, 2006 1:33 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Approximately half of the residents of Apex, North Carolina, were told to evacuate their homes following an explosion and fire at the Environmental Quality Industrial Services plant, which processes a variety of industrial waste. The accident sent a gas cloud over part of the city. Later, a yellowish haze hovered in the air and there was a smell of chlorine. Chlorine gas, which has an...

• Panel Recommends Approval For Spinal Replacement Disks

  Jamie Sheller | September 20, 2006 3:28 PM | 0 CommentsPhiladelphia, PA

  Medtronic received good news when an FDA panel voted to recommend approval for artificial upper spine disks. The stainless steel device is meant to replace degenerating disks in the back. The panel found that in clinical trials, the replacement disks performed at least as well as spinal fusion surgery. However, the panel approval carries several conditions, including more safety studies by...