The stabilized economy—“Normally, 2 million teenagers swell the work force during the summer. But over the last three years, with the economy in recession and then experiencing a tepid jobless recovery, that number has dropped substantially. And it is worse than after the recessions of the early ’80s and early ’90s.”—Associated Press.

Probably so—Folks living near the electric power company in Cheshire, Ohio, have taken court action to curb the blue mist of sulfuric acid streaming from the plant’s smokestacks. The company responds that it meets current health and safety standards.

Is ‘insatiable greed’ adequate?—Pfizer, the giant medical outfit, will plead guilty to criminal charges of selling Neurontin, an epilepsy medication, for other, unapproved, uses. It will pay a fine of $430 million. Last year it racked up sales of Neurontin totaling $2.7 billion.

Murder Inc.—“Abbott Laboratories Inc. was hit with a federal antitrust lawsuit by two California patients charging the company with illegally jacking up the price of a popular AIDS drug by 400 percent. The pharmaceutical company made a decision in December to raise the price of Norvir, a key component of many AIDS-fighting cocktails. Since then, doctors have urged a boycott and the nation’s largest AIDS organization sued the company in protest.”—Los Angeles Times.

Tooling up for Iraq?—“South Carolina: Charleston—Attorneys failed to reach a mediated settlement of a federal lawsuit stemming from a drug raid at Stratford High School in Goose Creek. During the November 5 raid, police, some with guns drawn, ordered about 100 students to the floor.

“About a dozen were restrained while a police dog sniffed at their backpacks. No drugs were found and no arrests were made. Two groups of students sued and the cases were later combined.”—USA Today.

Wanna bet?—At that New York restaurant offering a $1,000 omelet—includes caviar, lobster, etc.—an inspired manager dared customers to put it on their expense account. Big deal. For instance, a corporate honcho who bills his company for a gold shower curtain wouldn’t think twice.

She wasn’t ‘holding a gun’?—“What began as an attempt to remove shrubs and appliances from a North Portland yard last year ended with police knocking down and pepper-spraying a blind, 71-year-old, woman, shocking her in the back with a stun gun, handcuffing her, and citing her for harassment and disobeying an order. This week, the city agreed to pay Eunice Crowder $145,000 to settle her excessive-force lawsuit.”—The Oregonian.  
 
 
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