Maine Injury, Accident, & Disability Law Blog : Maine Personal Injury Lawyer & Attorney : Joe Bornstein Law Firm : Portland Bangor Maine

"Im walkin' on sunshine wooah, and don't it feel good!" says the popular song lyric. Well, this brutal July weather we are experiencing certainly makes it feel like we are walking on the sun.. but for many of us Mainers, it doesn't feel too good. If you have ventured outside the past couple of days, you are probably aware that Maine, along with much of the nation, is in the midst of an extreme summer heat wave. We are feelin' hot, hot, hot right now as temperatures have soared to 102 degrees Fahrenheit in many parts of our state. However, with the mix of humidity and thick air, it feels like 109 degrees.

There is currently a Severe/Excessive Heat and Code-Red Air Warning issued by the U.S. National Weather Service, meaning that the heat index and air quality  is dangerous and outdoor exposure should be limited.

With this current heat wave already having claimed 24 lives in the U.S., it has never been more crucial to take critical safety measures to try and stay healthy in these extreme hot temperatures:

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Chantix, the leading prescription drug for smoking cessation, has now added another serious health concern to its laundry list of potential risks: cardiovascular disorders for people who do not have preexisting heart conditions. Since its approval in 2006, the medication has also been associated with loss of consciousness, visual disturbances, worsening of diabetes and various psychiatric side effects.

According to a recent report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, a study concluded that Chantix increases the risk of hospitalization for heart attacks, strokes, irregular heartbeats or other serious heart problems by 72 percent.

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2-1-1 Maine, a statewide resource directory that connects Mainers  to over 8,000 health and human services, agencies and support groups, is celebrating its fifth anniversary.

The toll free hotline Call Center, open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, is available all across Maine and can be accessed from a cell phone or landline phone. Simply dial the digits, 2-1-1.

How to use 2-1-1:

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In an effort to ensure the safety of sleeping babies, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has announced new mandatory regulations for cribs.

These federal restrictions, which went into effect on June 28, 2011, prohibit the manufacture and sale of drop-side baby cribs - cribs that contain a side rail that moves up and down, allowing parents to easily lift their child from their crib. From now on, all cribs sold in the United States must have fixed sides. 

According to the CSPC, drop-side cribs have been blamed in the deaths of at least 32
infants and toddlers since 2000. In the past five years, more than 9 million drop-side cribs
have been recalled.

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The Law Offices of Joe Bornstein would like to thank all of the graduating Maine high school seniors who contributed to our seventh annual Arrive Alive Creative Contest and helped send the message - Stay Safe and Arrive Alive.

We would like to especially congratulate the following students for their creativity, talent and thoughtfulness. All of them are winners of our contest:

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The highly-anticipated, compelling HBO documentary, Hot Coffee, which premiered on June 27th and is scheduled to re-air during the next several weeks, is brewing up a great deal of chatter among legal professionals, film critics and journalists.

The 90 minute film chronicles the story of Stella Liebeck, the elderly woman who became unintentionally famous when she purchased a 49-cent cup of hot coffee at a McDonald’s drive-through window in 1992.

Liebeck accidentally spilled the cup of coffee on her lap, and as a result, suffered severe
third degree burns and became the subject of a product liability lawsuit in 1994.

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The U. S. Supreme Court, in a 7 - 2 decision issued in Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association, 564 U.S. _ (2011), on June 27, 2011, struck down a California ban on sales of violent video games  to children. Justice Antonin Scalia, writing for the majority, stated  that video games were subject to full First Amendment protection.

Violent depictions, stated Justice Scalia, have never been subject to government restrictions. He cited various fairy tales, such as "Snow White" and "Cinderella," in support of this proposition. The goal of the law to protect minors did not alter the constitutional analysis.

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In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, 564 U.S. _(2011) , the United States Supreme Court, divided 5 to 4, refused to allow a class action suit against the retail giant to go forward. In the majority opinion issued on June 20, 2011, Justice Antonin Scalia overturned the class certification of a million and half female employees who alleged discrimination in pay and promotions.

The Court did not determine whether the country's largest private employer actually was guilty of gender bias but only that the women could not proceed as a class.

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