The Scandal Behind the Egg Recall

Just about everyone has heard about the egg recall. Twenty-three states and a half a million eggs affected. What you may not have heard are the details behind this recall. The majority of the recalled eggs have come from Wright County Eggs, putting the focus on the company's owner 75-year-old Jack DeCoster.

This pre-boomer is no stranger to controversy. He's been involved in legal cases that have forced him to settle with the federal government for hiring illegal immigrants, for tolerating sexual harassment at his company, and has faced a litany of animal cruelty charges. DeCoster has also paid millions of dollars in fines and settlements over the years stemming from complaints about the health violations at his farms.

In 1996, for example, the egg farmer was forced to pay more than $3 million in fines after the U.S. Labor Department found dead chickens being picked up by workers with bare hands. The complaint also stated that DeCoster's workers also lived beside manure and rat-infested trailers, according to the Associated Press. The complaint led to a boycott of DeCoster's eggs by several major supermarkets.

In 2000, the Iowa attorney general dubbed DeCoster a "habitual violator" of the state's environmental laws and ordered him to pay a $150,000 fine for failing to properly dispose of the hog and chicken manure and had let it run into a nearby creek.

Earlier this year, DeCoster pleaded guilty to 10 counts of animal cruelty over his company's treatment of its chickens. In June, DeCoster was ordered to pay more than more than $100,000 in fines and restitution.

The charges and subsequent guilty plea came after an undercover investigation by Mercy For Animals, a national non-profit animal protection organization, that said they witnessed live birds being thrown in the trash, employees whipping birds by their necks in an attempt to kill them, and hens living in cages so small that their wings could not be lifted without getting snagged on wires.

With all of these violations, don't you think more drastic measures should've been taken--like SHUTTING DOWN HIS OPERATION?

States Not Prepared for Aging Baby Boomer Drivers

If your doctor suggests you give up driving at the age of 70 due to age and weakened motor skills, will you follow doctor's orders? More importantly, will that information be passed on to your state's Department of Motor Vehicles so they will know NOT to renew your license?

The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety believes all states should have medical advisory boards to review driver capabilities. In addition, state licensing policies and practices should put into place standard reporting laws that provide civil immunity for clinicians, law enforcement, and licensing personnel who report people they believe may be medically unfit to drive.

So does that mean if I have a "lead foot" and get a speeding ticket for driving 10 miles over the speed limit, a police officer can declare me unfit to drive? Or what about all of the older drivers who drive below the speed limit?

By 2025, people aged 65 and older will account for 25 percent of all U.S. drivers.

Will You Outlive Your Money?

If you were to retire today, how much longer could you survive before your money runs out?

That's a question some of us don't think about or don't want to think about but the truth of the matter is the future is going to look gloomy for many baby boomers and they know it.

In a survey, people between the ages of 44 and 75 were asked what they feared more: death or running out of money.

61 percent said they feared running out of money
39 percent said death

56 percent said they are afraid they won’t be able to cover their basic living expenses in retirement.

36 percent said they had no idea whether their nest egg was sufficient

Allianz Life Insurance Co. of North America, conducted the poll of 3,257 people.

Blacks and Cancer

Blacks with cancer are up to twice as likely as other races to die from the disease, according to researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Center.

Why?

According to the study, blacks are often diagnosed with more advanced cancer are are more likely to have other underlying health problems, such as hypertension or diabetes. That problem could probably be resolved, somewhat, if more blacks made routine check-ups as a part of their overall health care--instead of going to the doctor only when "something hurts," and the pain becomes unbearable.

Another reason cited is the fact that black patients are less likely to be advised about cancer screenings and less likely to receive surgery or chemotherapy. That is another problem that could also be resolved if physicians and other health care providers treated ALL patients equally. And then, it would be our responsibility to follow up on those screenings and surgeries.

Hospitals that treat primarily black patients tend to have fewer resources and offer lower quality care. No surprise there.

The study also concludes that blacks tend to trust their doctors less, the care received is often not as good and in some cases they may be unable to pay.


**information courtesy of Newswise **