| Archive for July, 2009 |
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 6 Comments | Add a comment |
California has joined the disturbing trend of sweeping unsuspecting seniors clean of their estates. Elder estate abuse is an addendum to physical or mental abuse of our nation’s geriatric population, typically when a sizeable amount of money stands to be gained by unscrupulous characters.
According to the California State Bar’s website, elder abuse involves various crimes, such as theft, assault, and identity theft that strike victims of all ages. But when the victim is 65 years of age or older, or, a disabled dependent adult, the criminal faces stiffer penalties. Greed, bolstered by a lackluster economy, was certainly coursing through the veins of San Juan Capistrano’s Jeffrey Butler. In the 1990s, Butler started Senior Information Services, to purportedly offer seniors help with estate planning. Fast forward to 2009, where he faces 874 felony counts of fraud and is accused of bilking 125 seniors of more than $11 million.
Oftentimes, estate abuse isn’t limited to seniors; it also distinguishes itself from other crimes in that, over 50% of the time, its victims have familial or fiduciary ties to the perpetrators. Look no further to the raging battles with Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson for proof. Lady Justice is disgusted with the blatant disregard for robbing people, both living and dead, of their hard-earned money. She will no doubt have all responsible parties feel the sting of her sword.
More information about elder abuse can be found on Calbar’s website at ELDER ABUSE.
July 30th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 11 Comments | Add a comment |
Michael Jackson and Anna Nicole Smith. Two figures of entertainment who couldn’t be more different. Yet, in death, they share some eerie commonalities: both demises are possibly attributed to would-be prescription drug enablers; both of their offspring are unsure who their legal guardians should be; and, both are mired in morass-like estate battles that would make any probate lawyer’s head spin.
To expound a bit on the drugs, MJ’s situation is a doozy. With the intention of establishing the most complete medical history possible including pre-existing conditions, previous medical procedures and his drug-use history, Los Angeles County, Coroner’s Office subpoenaed a dozen of MJ’s doctors who administered services since the early 1990s. A toxicology report is forthcoming, but that may be only a clue into what led to his death. By comparison, a Florida medical examiner’s office took six weeks to investigate the cause of Anna Nicole’s death.
Additionally, investigators from the DEA, three state agencies and the L.A. County District Attorney’s office pored over evidence related to her death for two years before prosecutors charged HKS and two physicians with conspiracy to illegally furnish Anna Nicole (who purportedly used the disturbing pseudonym “Wilma Flinstone”) with sleeping pills, painkillers and other drugs. Adam Braun, defense attorney for Khristine Eroshevich, said such investigations take much longer than other probes because of the medical expertise required to review cases. “The patient might be seeing three or four different doctors who are prescribing medications that the other doctors are unaware of…Just because there is a deadly cocktail doesn’t mean the actions of one physician were inappropriate.”
It’s becoming directly proportional that the more infamous a celebrity’s reputation, the more likely it is for any semblance of stability in that’s individual’s life to be an ephemeral concept. We will remain riveted to both of these troubling tragedies with the hope that answers are forthcoming.
July 10th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 2 Comments | Add a comment |
Air France pilots are pressing crash investigators for past performance problems of its aircrafts’ speed sensors (pitot tubes). The tube’s failure purportedly was key in last month’s deadly crash of Flight 447 which claimed the lives of all 228 who were aboard. As of now, no information has been revealed.
Union officials are stating that modifications to existing aircraft could’ve been made had this information been available. Extensive searches for flight data and cockpit voice recorders have thus far proven fruitless. We originally reported on this story on June 9th in the article “Air France: Unsensored!”
July 8th, 2009
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| Posted by Janice | Permalink | 4 Comments | Add a comment |
For many, the 4th of July brings together friends and family, feasting on charcoal-cooked delicacies and taking in a fireworks display from a local civic organization. While you reap the holiday’s bounty, keep in mind a few things.
We, as Americans, are blessed with liberties set forth by our Founding Fathers, and it is our civic duty to continue in their footsteps. Those who imprinted their names upon the Declaration of Independence pledged their lives, fortunes and sacred honor to achieve freedom from the absentee British Empire. The independence we gained was not merely for its own sake, but for a desire to preserve self-determination and forge a will to pursue our own course as individuals.
George Washington and Benjamin Franklin are not just faces which peer from our currency. They, among many others, did not wait until every vestige of liberty had been stolen from them. They understood precedents unchallenged become the norm in a society.
The recent uprisings in Iran (among countless other examples history illustrates) only reinforce the fact that we are fortunate enough to live in a nation which allows us to practice our own religion, have a say in how our government is run, and be able to reinvent ourselves as individuals, families and businesses as many times as it takes to become successful.
No, it is not Sir Thomas More’s Utopia, nor should it be. Yes, it is convenient to become downtrodden and lash out at those who have brought our country to the brink of bankruptcy. We are ultimately in control of our own destiny and can right this ship once more. Think of that while the proud strains of Sousa’s “Stars and Stripes Forever” play in time to the ubiquitous fireworks that light up the nighttime sky.
July 1st, 2009
Posted in Uncategorized
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