Sugar and corn syrup head to an LA court today to argue which one is better for you; another much anticipated case in Texas raises the question of whether homeschooling parents should prove their kids are learning; more employers are accepting visible tattoos on employees; and CBS makes a big bet on streaming with Star Trek.
Debating ways of alerting patients to doctors’ probation
The Medical Board of California says a task force will devise better ways to inform patients when a physician has been disciplined and placed on probation.
On Friday, board members voted 11-1 against proposed rules that would have required doctors to notify patients about probation during appointment phone calls or when patients check in.
The nonprofit organization, Consumers Union, has advocated for mandatory physician disclosure for several years. The Union has said that patients have the right to know if their health or safety is in jeopardy because their doctor is on probation for serious misconduct.
Although the Medical Board has stated that patients should be notified when his or her physician has been placed on probation or disciplined for offenses including sexual misconduct or medical negligence, they are concerned that physicians who have committed minor offenses will be penalized.
In lieu of notifying patients of probation, the Medical Board has created mbc.ca.gov (click on Verify a License), a website where patients can proactively search for their physician by license type and find disciplinary information.
Do you think a website is enough? How would you like to be notified?
Guests:
Dr. Ronald H. Lewis, M.D., Member of the Medical Board of California
Lisa McGiffert, director of the Safe Patient Project at Consumers Union - the advocacy arm of Consumer Reports
Sugar or corn syrup? Court case to decide which is better for the human body
It’s a long-raging battle and for the next week, the war between sugar and corn syrup -- and which one is better for you -- will take place in a courtroom in Los Angeles.
A federal jury will begin hearing a case today, brought forth by the sugar industry against the Corn Refiners Association -- which makes corn syrup. Big sugar is claiming that Big Corn is claiming incorrectly in a multi-platform advertising campaign that corn syrup is natural and just like sugar.
The suit also takes issue with the Corn Refiners Association’s rebranding of corn syrup as “corn sugar.”
Guests:
Eugene Egdorf, an attorney at the Lanier Law Firm, which is handling the case for the Western Sugar Cooperative and other sugar players
Roger Clemens, adjunct professor of pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences at USC. He specializes in nutrition and toxicology
Visible tattoos okayed at sandwich chain, forbidden for Chicago Police
In court decision that seems to buck the trend, a federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit filed by three Chicago Police Department officers challenging a tattoo ban.
As reported in the Chicago Tribune, U.S. District Judge Charles P. Kocoras ruled last week that the city’s goal to have a professional-looking department with uniform restrictions outweighs the officers’ interests in expressing themselves by keeping their tattoos visible while on-duty, according to court papers.
The very same day, sandwich chain Jimmy Johns removed its long-standing ban on tattoos. The new dress code states, "A little ink is OK, as long as it’s tasteful and not on the face or throat." While workplaces with younger personnel and more creative company missions see tattoo bans as passe, there are still major employers such as the Cleveland Clinic that forbid visible ink.
Guest:
Alec Levenson, Senior Research scientist, Center for Effective Organizations, USC Marshall School of Business; Co-Author of the forthcoming book "What Millennials Want From Work" (McGraw Hill; January 2016)
What’s next for Bill Cosby after judge rules on deposition in defamation case
A judge has ruled that Bill Cosby and his former attorney can be questioned by lawyers for model Janice Dickinson in her defamation lawsuit against the comedian.
The Los Angeles Superior Court judge said that Lisa Bloom, Dickinson’s attorney, can depose Cosby and his former attorney, Martin Singer, before November 25th. Bloom will be limited to asking questions about evidence that suggests Cosby’s denial of Dickinson’s rape allegation was made maliciously. Singer will also be able to assert attorney-client privileges as an answer to some questions. This is a move to ensure that the deposition doesn’t focus on the numerous other sexual assault allegations that women have made against Cosby.
Dickinson sued Cosby for defamation in May, claiming that the denials Cosby’s attorney has made of her allegations have re-victimized her and damaged her reputation. She claims Cosby raped her in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in 1982 but she didn’t report the incident to authorities because she feared retaliation from Cosby that would hurt her career.
Guest:
Royal Oakes, legal analyst and a partner at the Los Angeles-based firm Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP
R.J. Garis, National Publicist and crisis PR consultant
Homeschoolers await Supreme Court decision in Texas
Should homeschooling parents have to prove their children are really learning?
That’s the issue at stake in a much anticipated ruling from the Texas Supreme Court. According to court documents, Laura and Michael McIntyre told their nine children they did not have to do schoolwork because they were “going to be raptured.”
When the school district asked the McIntyres to prove their children were being properly educated, they sued. Nationwide, 24 states require home-schooled children be tested or assessed, but Texas isn’t one of them. And parents who homeschool in Texas don’t have to register with state authorities, though they must meet what’s described as "basic educational goals."
Here in California, there are several ways to homeschool: Public, Charter or Private Independent Study Programs (ISP), or becoming authorized as a private school, which offers homeschooling parents the most autonomy and releases them from reporting anything to the state.
Currently in California, a local school district or the state Department of Education cannot demand homeschooling parents prove their kids are learning, but a judge could demand that if a case went to court.
The nine justices could rule on this case by February of 2016. Do you think all homeschoolers should have to prove what their children are learning?
Guests:
Pam Sorooshian, homeschooling advocate and member of the Board of Directors of the HomeSchool Association of California (HSC); she homeschooled her 3 children
CBS making big bet on Star Trek's next frontier: Online streaming
Streaming: The final media frontier.
These are the voyages of CBS Television Studios. Their continuing mission: to explore strange and innovative new ways of offering programming. To seek out the best and most profitable way to bring an old favorite back to life. To boldly go where no TV studio has gone before!
Okay, so maybe the last part isn’t true, but there are still plenty of reasons for Trekkies everywhere to rejoice. Television’s favorite sci-fi series is getting another makeover, but there’s a catch: it is only going to be available via online streaming.
CBS Television Studios yesterday announced another reboot of the famed franchise to broadcast in January 2017. A special preview of the series will broadcast on old-school TV, but the series premiere and all subsequent episodes will only be available on the network’s streaming digital subscription service, CBS All Access.
CBS is banking on Star Trek’s legendary fandom will pay $5 a month to watch the series online, but it’s almost certain that production costs of making this particular series -- which requires special effects -- will be more expensive.
Would CBS be able to recoup its costs? Is this a smart move for the network?
Guest:
Daniel Holloway, TV Editor at the entertainment and movie news site, The Wrap.