Glee Addresses Texting While Driving Epidemic in Winter Finale
Last night’s episode of Glee was full of life lessons. In addition to addressing bullying in schools with an “It Gets Better” tone they addressed a major problem in our country—texting while driving.
In the winter season finale Gleeks were bombarded with emotions. It began with the attempted suicide of Kurt’s former bully David Karovsky. He had been outted at his new high school and was being bullied for being gay. Well-timed commercial breaks had fans sitting on the edge of their seats after showing Karovsky donned in his nicest suit enter his closet and fix a belt around his neck.
Luckily they did not kill him off, his suicide attempt was unsuccessful. In light of the near tragedy the students at McKinley High began thinking about the future and what they want out of life. While some of the things they wanted to accomplish in life were as simple as Rory trying peanut butter for the first time, it had others thinking about the big picture. Finn and Rachel decided that they did not want to wait to begin their lives together; they made the decision that win or lose they would marry the night of regionals.
The competition hardly seemed fierce and the music choices left something to be desired, but New Directions proved victors at Regionals. A perfect precursor of good luck to their wedding, the Glee club then turned their attention to Finn and Rachel’s forthcoming nuptials.
Although she was hesitant to support at first, Quinn decided that she wouldn’t miss out on the wedding and agreed to join the rest of the Glee Club as a member of the wedding party. When it was almost time for the I Do’s Quinn was still not at the wedding venue. She had sent a message to Rachel that she needed to go home to get her bridesmaid dress and that she would be there soon. Rachel did not want to start the wedding without Quinn by her side, but others stressed that if they were going to do this they needed to get moving before they lost their time slot.
Rachel frantically texted Quinn asking where she was, and when Quinn went to reply the unthinkable happened… WARNING video contains spoilers for those who missed the episode.
Photo credit: Socialite Life.
It is unknown to us what they could possibly be filming. Is she alive? Is she paralyzed? Is this just some tortuous photo to throw us off? It is possible that the show is filming flashbacks, flashforwards, or some sort of what if scenario for the new season, but we will all just have to wait.
The show has addressed many serious issues over the years, but this one is particularly jarring. Not in that it is more serious than any of the other traumatic moments in the show, but because so many people choose to ignore the dangers of texting while driving.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that in the approximately 4.5 seconds your eyes are off the road to answer a text message you will have travelled the length of a football field, if traveling at 50 mph, blind. Quinn’s accident is a sobering reminder that your eyes can be off the road for only seconds and an accident can happen.
If you or someone you love has been injured in an accident involving a distracted driver contact the New Jersey car accident attorneys at Console & Hollawell. We have represented car accident victims for more than 17 years and will help ensure that you are compensated for your accident. Call us at (866) 778-5500 to set up your free consultation.
Main photo credit: Hulu.
FDA Questions Safety of Inhalable Caffeine
Ever have one of those days where you just wish you could inject caffeine into your system and be on your way? Well, while you can’t get a direct shot to your blood apparently you can just breathe in the caffeine without the damaging effects of drinking energy drinks, shots, or pills. AeroShot is a revolutionary product that dispenses caffeine and B vitamins into your mouth without any calories.
While this may seem like a blessing in disguise, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is not so sure. According to a CNN report, the Administration is planning on investigating this new form of caffeine intake because they question its safety. The report explains that consumers can currently purchase the AeroShot, a lipstick-shaped container that dispenses the caffeine and vitamins, online or at convenience stores in both New York and Boston. And the kicker of it all—it only costs $3.
A single tube of AeroShot can be consumed all at once or in small doses according to the product’s website. In the CNN report one New York Senator, Charles Schumer, is very wary of the consequences of a product like this.
He told CNN that, “This product could be very dangerous. There might be legitimate uses. The business man staying up late who doesn’t want to drink that cup of coffee, that’s OK. But what about kids who go to bars and take several shots of AeroShot so they can drink more?”
The Senator brings up a valid point. There has been a lot of attention in the media of the dangerous of mixing caffeine and alcohol—remember the Four Loko scandal? Even with caffeine / alcohol combination drinks being altered to be less dangerous people are still dying.
Just this past weekend there was a 13-year-old boy from Maryland who died after consuming Four Loko according to news reports. So what is going to stop individuals from abusing the ease of this caffeine intake? After all, it won’t be like pounding down a Red Bull which could make you full and unable to drink as much. Senator Schumer took his concerns to the FDA by writing them a letter and the FDA reported that they will investigate his concerns and send him a response directly.
Although it is an energy supplement, in the FDA’s eyes energy pills, shots, etc. fall under the same regulations as dietary supplements. CNN reported that:
The company making them is responsible “for determining that the dietary supplements it manufactures or distributes are safe and that any representations or claims made about them are substantiated by adequate evidence to show that they are not false or misleading,” according to the FDA website.
It’s rare for the agency to prohibit a supplement. In 2004, it stopped the sale of the diet supplement Ephedra, but only after deaths and other serious side effects were reported.
“Manufactures are free, basically, to sell almost any product they want and to make any claims they want about dietary supplements” [David Schardt, from the Center for Science in the Public Interest] said. “It’s the burden of the Food and Drug Administration to prove that a product is unsafe and the dietary supplement industry has lawyers to defend their products and it’s a long involved process.”
At this point it is just a game of wait and see. The product has not been removed from the market, but depending on what the FDA concludes in its investigation inhalable caffeine may become just another failed product.
The FDA plays a very important role and in conjunction with other government agencies helps protect consumers from hazardous or harmful products. If you or someone you love has been injures as the result of a dangerous or defective product of any kind you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the Philly accident lawyers at Console & Hollawell today to find out what your legal rights and options are. Call us today at (866) 778-5500 to set up your free consultation.
All photos from AeroShot website.
Van Accident in Philadelphia Injures Six
At least six people were injured in a Philadelphia car accident, which involved a work truck and a van that was transporting prisoners. According to a news report in Philly.com, the injury collision occurred the morning of February 21, 2012 in the westbound lanes of the Interstate 76 near the South Street ramp. Police say the transport van was struck from behind by a white work truck. Five prisoners and a female police officer complained of pain and were transported to a local hospital. None of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries. An investigation is ongoing.
My thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was injured in this car accident. I wish them all the very best for a speedy and complete recovery.
Student Killed in Lower Milford Crash
Emmaus High School students mourn the loss of 17-year-old Benjamin Albro, who was killed in a single-vehicle accident in Lower Milford Township on Thursday, February 16th. Albro, a member of the rifle team at Emmaus High School, lost control of his vehicle on Palm Road, which then hit a tree and flipped over, landing on its roof. Benjamin Albro was pronounced dead at the scene of the Pennsylvania car accident. The crash occurred shortly after 7 p.m. just hours after Albro had competed in the state championship rifle event.
Our thoughts and prayers are with the friends and family of Benjamin Albro during this difficult time.
According to a 2009 report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, run-off-road “crashes contribute to a large proportion of fatalities and serious injuries to the vehicle occupants in fatal single-vehicle crashes (around 70% of the fatal single-vehicle crashes are ROR crashes).” Further down in the same report, it also states that “the most influential factor in the occurrence of fatal single-vehicle ROR crashes is the driver performance-related factor: sleepy, followed by alcohol use, roadway alignment with curve, vehicle speeding, passenger car, rural roadway, high-speed-limit road, adverse weather, and crash-avoiding.”
If you have been injured in a car accident, contact a personal injury lawyer in New Jersey or Pennsylvania to learn more about your rights as a victim. Depending on the details of your case, you may be entitled to financial compensation for your medical bills, rehabilitation costs, or other damages suffered as a result of the car accident.
Photo Credit: Lehigh Valley Live
Rihanna and Chris Brown Together Again
The internet is buzzing over the fact that Rihanna and ex-boyfriend Chris Brown have released two tracks where they collaborated. On Monday, Rihanna’s 24th birthday, the two stars were tweeting back and forth and shared videos for remixes of their songs that featured each other.
Chris Brown provided a verse in the remix of RiRi’s song “Birthday Cake,” that is, uhm, graphic to say the least. Rihanna returned the favor by laying down her vocals in Brown’s hit “Turn Up the Music,” which he performed at the Grammy’s a couple weeks ago.
The New York Daily News reported that the following Twitter conversation occurred on Monday:
“@chrisbrown Turn up the music remix #RihannaNavy #Teambreezy enjoy!!!” the Barbados songstress tweeted out to her fans, along with a link to a remix of Brown’s hit “Turn Up the Music,” which he performed at the Grammys just last week.
Less than a minute later, the singer followed up with another shoutout to her fans after Brown returned the favor, tweeting a link to the second collaboration.
“#RihannaNavy Come and put ya name on it!!!!! RT @chrisbrown: @rihanna YIKES!!! Cake, cake, cake!”
Moments later, Rihanna excitedly tweeted “Its a download OVERLOAD!!!! Working on more links for u guys, so errbody could have some #CAKE.”
Photo credit: TMZ.
Brown’s performance at this year’s Grammys was monumental since it was the first time he has appeared on the awards show since the assault in 2009 which occurred on the eve of the Grammys that year.
Rihanna’s fans are not responding well to the star’s decision to collaborate with her ex. The Daily News report cited one fan’s Twitter message to Rihanna that said, “’@rihanna do you really think this is the right thing to do…I think you are encouraging young women to comeback to those who beat you!’”
The songs can be heard here: Birthday Cake & Turn Up the Music.
Please note that these are unedited versions of the songs and they contain explicit language, not intended for children.
Main photo credit: TMZ.
Drowsy Doctoring
On a Saturday night a couple weeks ago I was taken to the hospital because I was experiencing extreme pain on the right side of my lower back. It was just past dinner time when I arrived, but of course I would be there well into the night. It turned out that the pain I was experiencing was due to a kidney stone, but once I was settled in I got to thinking about the doctors in the E.R.
Although I was at the hospital for several hours I did not get to see a doctor, I did see a nurse practitioner. I faintly remember her talking about a radiologist that went over my CT scans, but for all I know this doctor was some mystical being that parents tell stories about to their children like the Easter Bunny. My nurse practitioner had obviously been on shift for some time. Each time she came into my curtained area she sat at the edge of my bed, if only to just catch her breath for a moment.
Despite being slightly out of it due to the medication they gave me, I could see the exhaustion in her eyes. They were brushed with a lining of dark purple underneath, not from makeup but from sleepiness. She spoke in a low voice, almost a whisper. It was not that late—the E.R. was still bustling with noise so her timid voice could not have been out of fear of waking another patient.
These doctors and nurses work very long hours. At best they are probably looking at a 12-hour shift, but it is not unheard of for them to work upwards of 36-hours (especially in bigger hospitals and for first year residents). Why are there no regulations for how long they are allowed to be on shift?
If you were traveling on a bus or an airplane you would want to be sure that the driver or pilot was well-rested so that you can get to your destination safely. There is constantly talk about the dangers of driving drowsy, especially with regards to truck drivers, yet no one seems to worry about drowsy doctors.
WebMD published this article about the effects of sleepiness. Now I am not talking effects of a serious sleeping disorder, these are the effects a lack of sleep will have on your body even when you don’t have a serious condition.
First they spoke about how a lack of sleep does result in accidents. They cited some major disasters such as the 1986 nuclear disaster at Chernobyl, but also car accidents. Like I said earlier the statistics support that driving while tired is a huge risk, but these risks also apply to working while tired. They explained that drowsiness can affect your ability to react as much as being drunk would. This is no different for performing other tasks while tired, it is still a hazard.
Lack of sleep also greatly impairs your cognitive abilities including your ability to concentrate, your alertness, ability to pay attention, your reasoning, and your problem solving abilities—all things a medical professional would need to properly perform their job. The article goes on to explain more effects of continual lack of sleep, check it out.
In the end this ‘drowsy doctoring’ is a serious problem. If doctors and other medical experts are not at the peak of their cognitive ability mistakes can be made and lives can be put in jeopardy. If you or someone you love has been injured due to medical error, contact Console & Hollawell’s medical malpractice attorneys in NJ. Call us today at (866) 778-5500 to set up your free, confidential consultation.
