In 1972, Massachusetts amended its constitution to include a provision that "[t]he people shall have the right to clean air and water, freedom from excessive and unnecessary noise, and the natural, scenic, historic, and esthetic qualities of their environment." Public lands used for these environmental purposes (under Article 97 of the Massachusetts Constitution) cannot be converted to another use or sold without the approval of two-thirds of both houses of the state legislature. What constitutes land used for Article 97 purposes was the subject of a recent ...

According to a recent study, the primary cause of successful medical malpractice claims is not surgical errors or birth injuries, but rather diagnostic errors. The study, published in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety, examined records from 25 years of medical malpractice claims as reported in the federal National Practitioner Data Bank. According to the authors of the study, approximately 29 percent of all successful medical malpractice claims related to diagnoses that were incorrect, delayed or simply missed. These errors accounted for approximately 39 percent of ...

Under California law, all drivers are prohibited from talking on a handheld cellphone. California also bans texting behind the wheel for all motorists. But, in this day and age, handheld electronic devices have capabilities that extend far beyond the simple talk and text features of cellphones of the past. Can California drivers legally use apps, access content and perform other actions on their phones as long as they stay away from talking and texting? A new California appeals court ruling makes it inescapably clear that the state's ban on mobile phone use behind the ...

A recent study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has tentatively proven a link between asbestos exposure, smoking, the lung condition asbestosis and lung cancer. The study was released by the American Thoracic Society, a group dedicated to educating the public about and working toward cures for respiratory diseases and led by Dr. Steven Markowitz, a professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences at New York City's Queens College. Results show that workers who were exposed to ...

In the event that a person becomes disabled, it not only can cause extreme physical and emotional distress for the individual, it also may cause significant financial challenges. Fortunately, a disabled person may be eligible to receive financial benefits from Supplemental Security Income, known as SSI; Social Security Disability Insurance, called SSDI; or both SSI and SSDI. Sometimes, however, those who are eligible and most deserving are initially denied the benefits to which they are entitled. People who believe they have wrongly been denied benefits should consider ...

Rapoport Law Offices, P.C., has filed a product liability lawsuit against medical device maker Howmedica Osteonics Corp., doing business as Stryker Orthopaedics, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division. The lawsuit alleges that Stryker Orthopaedics designed, manufactured and sold a defective medical device called the Rejuvenate Modular Hip System, which was then implanted into the bodies of patients throughout the United States, including the firm's client, causing serious and permanent injuries. The Rejuvenate is a metal-on-metal ...

Rolling Hills Pediatric Dentistry, a practice uniquely focused on establishing the dentist as a friendly and comfortable place for children, announced today that it is releasing a new video that introduces Dr. Nutter, his staff and long-time customers. The video provides a virtual tour of his office and demonstrates the team's commitment to making a child's dental visit a pleasant and enjoyable one. Dr. Nutter, a pediatric dentist who has been in practice for over 25 years, states, "The first visit is critical to establishing a long-term comfort level with the ...

On Friday, April 26, more than 1,000 team members from Kaplan Higher Education Campuses will participate in a nationwide Serve-a-thon to help make a collective difference at its nearly 50 locations in 15 states. From sorting, cooking and serving food to those in need to cleaning up area parks and natural resources to helping young and old smile, thousands of man hours will be invested in giving back and showing a commitment to each local community. Each campus and administrative office selected its own organization to support to ensure a meaningful contribution and lasting ...

On April 3rd, the New York Historical Society unveiled a life-size bronze sculpture of Abraham Lincoln. The event, which attracted such personalities as singers Tony Bennett and Judy Collins, writer Gay Talese, editor Nan Talese, Barnes & Noble CEO Leonard Riggio, media magnate Sumner Redstone, and Actor Andre de Shields, highlighted one of the finest sculpted likenesses of Lincoln ever produced. For Long Island, New York sculptor and educator Frank Porcu, the launch of what is arguably the beginning of a new and exciting phase in his career cannot be overstated. The ...

Up to 10,000 members of the public will be able to tread in the footsteps of legends with the National Lottery Anniversary Run on Sunday 21st July 2013 - the first event to use the Olympic Stadium since last summer's unforgettable 2012 Olympic Games. Tickets go on sale at 9am today (Thursday 25th April) with entries allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The 5-mile course will cross the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park before entering the Olympic Stadium and finishing on the same track that brought glory to the likes of Usain Bolt, Jessica Ennis, Mo Farah and David ...

This week marks National Coffee Week and with that comes the return of the London Coffee Festival. With London fast becoming one of the world's leading cities for quality coffee, this four-day festival is a chance to showcase the best of what London's independent coffee scene has to offer. For visitors travelling from outside the capital, a wide selection of cheap London hotels can be booked through LondonTown.com. Something a little bit sweeter can be found in east London this weekend with the Great Brixton Bake Off, a chance for the capital's budding bakers to showcase ...

Terra Motors decided the world's first mass production of Electric 3-wheelers which can be charged by AC power. Terra Motors' prototype is completed this April, and they plan to produce 10,000 sets of electric 3-wheelers in 2013. In Asian countries, 3-wheeler market has expanded rapidly, because it is cheap and freight is large, compare to cars. For example, in India, the number of three-wheelers is increasing twice by these five-years. And the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh also shows the same transition. It is thought that electric-ization of the three-wheel ...

Folliclez 360 Salon is getting to the root of the matter with the launch of their new services specifically designed to help clients discover how to stop hair loss and grow healthier, stronger hair. Featured services include Microscopic Scalp Analysis, High Frequency Treatments for the Scalp, Invigorating Scalp Treatments, and more. "Hair loss is an epidemic right now. I wanted to study Trichology in order to get to the root of the problem," Ky Smith, Owner, Folliclez 360 Salon explains. Smith's passion helping her clients grow stronger, healthier hair is the ...

Many of us are quick to forget that the skin is the body's largest external organ. Because your skin is on the outside of your body, it is constantly attacked by toxins and chemical irritants. Many skin care products - even those claiming to be natural - often contain harsh synthetic chemicals (unregulated by the FDA) that could be damaging your skin at this very moment! The average woman absorbs up to five pounds of toxic chemicals from her skin care and other personal care. Chances are they contain fragrances, parabens, dyes, or other irritating chemicals that are ...

Body So Perfect the nation's first training facility focusing on striving for perfection, proudly announces the opening of their first facility in Warren, NJ. The Grand Opening Event will take place on Wednesday May 15 between 6-9 PM . Demonstrations and program highlights will be featured. Refreshments served. "We are so excited to introduce The Body So Perfect program to the world", say Roseann Knabe and Connie Fazekas; Co-Founders of Body So Perfect "The concept of Body Perfect is very unique." It's not a conventional gym or spa. The Body So ...

Persson Associates has just released a new disaster recovery plan specifically for "websites". All websites should have a disaster recovery plan. This product offered by Persson Associates (www.perssonassociates.com) covers the main areas to address: Website disaster recovery plan and Incident Response. The plan is written in MS Word and has an easy to follow set of "templates" along with specific instructions, step by step. Everything needed to start the plan development process is included. And, for those who are new to disaster recovery, each of ...

The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia has expanded their exclusive license agreement with Naxos, the world's leading classical music group. In addition to its current audio offerings, high definition (HD) video recordings of Chamber Orchestra performances will become available beginning in the 2013-2014 concert season. The Chamber Orchestra's streaming HD video recordings will be available at affordable rates on Naxos Video Library, as well as other popular video streaming sites, such as Hulu, Amazon Video-On-Demand, iTunes, and Vudu, among others. "We are very ...

Laurence Lewis, director of YPI Crew, and her team have been taking an active interest in the development of the MLC 2006 from a very early stage. "We could see that once in place, the MLC 2006 was going to affect the lives of yacht crew worldwide," she explains. "I wanted to make sure YPI Crew was a major part of it from the start." The team has been attending and taking part in conferences and seminars since 2008 including those given by the Lloyds Maritime Academy in London and various other sessions in France including an MLC 2006 conference in ...

Tablet2Cases.com, the internet's definitive resource on tablet cases, now sells handmade, all-natural tablet sleeves for the Apple iPad 2/3/4 and iPad Mini from Netherlands-based designer label Mujjo. Mujjo tablet cases are advertised as sleeves for the iPad 1/2/3/4 or iPad Mini, but are certainly appropriate for any similarly-sized device. From the Mujjo Originals Collection, these tablet sleeves are done up in classic envelope tablet case style. The main material used in the Mujjo sleeves is genuine high-quality dark-grey wool, and both the iPad and iPad Mini versions ...

Geo-Power System (revolutionary air conditioning system using renewable underground energy) has now officially launched in the U.S.A. Geo Power System Co. Ltd (www.geo-power.co.jp), having their head office in Yamaguchi Japan, is very proud to announce that their first installation of this innovative renewable energy air ventilation/conditioning system is now up and running in the States. The system is installed in the community center of Avocado Court in Escondido, CA built by a leader in green residential construction, Community Housing Works (www.chworks.org). ...

As demands for long work hours continue to increase, an Indiana University study found that mothers are more likely than other employees to leave jobs in male-dominated fields. This trend was not seen in balanced or female-dominated occupations. "Mothers were 52 percent more likely than other women to leave their jobs if they were working a 50-hour week or more, but only in occupations dominated by men," said Youngjoo Cha, assistant professor in the Department of Sociology at IU Bloomington. "Many of these are lucrative fields, such as law, medicine, finance and engineering." ...

Los Angeles, CA (April 23, 2013) -- Male athletes are the group most likely to tear their Achilles tendon, according to a new study published in the April 2013 issue of Foot & Ankle International (FAI), A SAGE journal. The activity most likely to cause the injury was basketball, and NBA players such as Kobe Bryant have been in the news lately for this exact injury. Drs. Steven Raikin, David Garras and Philip Krapchev reviewed 406 records from patients at one clinic diagnosed with Achilles tendon injuries from August 2000 and December 2010. The average age was 46 years ...

A new drug is offering dramatic cure rates for hepatitis C patients with two subtypes of the infection -- genotype 2 and 3, say a team of scientists led by Weill Cornell Medical College researchers. These two subtypes account for approximately 25 percent of hepatitis C infection in the United States. The drug, called sofosbuvir, offers more effective treatment for most patients studied in a Phase 3 clinical trial who had no other treatment options, report researchers in The New England Journal of Medicine. After three months of combined therapy with sofosbuvir and the ...

An ACE in the hole for hypertension There are multiple environmental triggers that contribute to high blood pressure (hypertension), including aging, obesity, stress, alcohol intake, and excess dietary salt; however, the physiological mechanisms that are regulated by these triggers are not fully understood. Blood pressure is controlled in part by the renin angiotensin system (RAS), which manages the release of the hormone angiotensin to control blood vessel constriction. ACE is an enzyme that converts angiotensin to its active form, Ang II, and ACE inhibitors are commonly ...

Peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a deterioration in cardiac function that occurs in pregnant women during the last month or in the months following their pregnancy. This disorder can occur in women with no prior history of heart disease and the causes are not well understood. In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Ingrid Struman and colleagues at the University of Liege in Liege, Belgium, identified a molecule, miR-146a, that can serve as a biomarker for peripartum cardiomyopathy. Struman and colleagues found that expression of miR-146a was induced by ...