By Melanie D.G. Kaplan

Who doesn’t know Erin Brockovich? Or at least we all think we know her, through the role that Julia Roberts played in the 2000 movie that bears her name. We remember Brockovich, the single mother and legal clerk who was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California. The case, which led to one of the biggest class action lawsuits in American history, alleged contamination of drinking water with hexavalent chromium in the California town of Hinkley.

Communities throughout Australia, including some near Sydney, Melbourne and in Queensland, are already experiencing environmental problems with pesticides and Chromium VI, according to Erin Brockovich. Brockovich is working with Australian communities, providing advice on litigation, and supporting the community, including voicing her support for Terri and Bindi Irwin's fight to protect the 135,000 Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve, a conservation area in Cape York Peninsula currently threatened by strip mining. Over 207,000 people have signed the " Save Steve's Place" petition.

You can sign the petition here:

Weitz & Luxenberg will Host a Special Community Meeting in Paw Paw, Mich. for Those Affected by Groundwater Contamination from Coca-Cola Plant

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.:

WHO: Weitz & Luxenberg P.C.

WHAT: Paw Paw, Mich. residents are invited to attend a special community meeting with lawyers from Weitz & Luxenberg.

WHEN: Tuesday, August 25 at 7 p.m.

WHERE: Paw Paw High School, 30609 E. Red Arrow Hwy., Paw Paw, MI 49079-8699

Attorneys from Weitz & Luxenberg (www.weitzlux.com) — a law firm long recognized in the legal community for pursuing legal claims on behalf of communities and individuals harmed by toxic pollution — will be on hand with local Michigan counsel to discuss the soil contamination problem in Paw Paw, Mich., and to advise residents about their legal options.

Erin talks to Midland about Chromium in the water
The original plume was discovered in February of 2005. Brockovich's team is currently representing about 40 individuals.

Private well water found contaminated with HVC

Read about Erin's fight against BirdsEye

Here

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich will announce on April 22 the results of her investigation into the brain tumor clusters in Cameron.

Erin Brockovich addressed the media in Lenoir City January 8, 2009, prior to visiting the site of the TVA coal ash spill site to speak to residents who have been affected by the disaster.

Test results from water sampling conducted by the city on Jan. 12, showed that the system violated standards for haloacetic acids, which are a byproduct of the chlorination process used to disinfect drinking water.

Cameron Environmental Investigation

In May 2008, in response to high community concern about the city’s drinking water as a possible cause of brain tumors, the Department of Natural Resources tested the public drinking water in Cameron. No contaminants that would pose a public health threat were found. Like all public water systems in Missouri, Cameron’s public water system is routinely tested to ensure the water is safe for the public to drink. Over many years of testing and evaluation, Cameron’s public water has repeatedly been found to be clean and safe for public consumption.

Click to View TVA Video

Today I watched the hope and dreams of America come to life again. I am referring to the inauguration. How much it means. The words spoken and how they apply to the work I do.
Like most Americans and much of the world, I was glued to the TV; chills coursing up and down my spine, I watched my own young daughter as she watched the historic moment in history. I saw and shared the sense of pride and inspiration at the commencement of a new era.

Read More

With 1 in 4 children suffering sexual abuse worldwide, and nearly 50% being under 12 years of age, we desperately need to take action through awareness and education. It is our responsibility to arm our young children with the tools which will enable them to seek help should they, or someone they know, be experiencing domestic or family violence or sexual abuse.

• There are over 100,000 species of molds. • About three dozen cause health problems in humans. • We have known for a long time about the health effects of molds. History of Molds • Molds are mentioned in Leviticus in the Bible (Chapter 14) • Molds were used by the Spartans in their war against Athens in 430 B.C.

A recent blog post touched on a topic which gets me all worked up.

"America is in love--again. Remember how we loved Vivian Ward, the pretty woman in Pretty Woman? And who could forget Maggie Carpenter, the runaway bride in Runaway Bride? Or Tess Ocean, the twelfth ocean in Ocean's Twelve? But then there's my personal favorite: Erin Brockovich, who was Erin Brockovich in Erin Brockovich."

Read More

When it comes to politics, I'm not about not attacking someone because they are on a Republican ticket or a Democratic ticket. Let’s look at the person, their ideas and what they might represent for us humans. After seeing Sarah Palin's acceptance speech, I came away with several thoughts, one of them that it looks like Palin-speak is going to mean plain-speaking.

Read More

Interior Alaska Fish Processors, Inc. Recalls Santa's Smokehouse Brand Smoked Keta Salmon

Contact:
Interior Alaska Fish Processors, Inc.
907-456-3885

Manufacturer for Publix Brand Vanilla Wafers Issues a Recall for Undeclared Soy

Contact:
Roy Peterson, General Manager
Toufayan Bakery
roy@toufayan.com
813-754-5565

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE -- August 15, 2008 – The manufacturer of Publix Vanilla Wafers is recalling a limited number of 12oz boxes of Vanilla Wafers with a code date of 030409A as they may contain undeclared soy. Persons who have an allergy to soy run the risk of a serious or possible life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume the affected product. The UPC number may be found on the side label below the Nutrition Facts panel:

Publix Vanilla Wafers, UPC: 41415-00609

The product was distributed throughout the chain to include stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee.

There's another danger on the horizon. It's not entirely unique. Vaccines in the past have caused an uproar because their administration has been connected with varying problems such as autism. So you see, it's not that unusual for a vaccine to be known as a "loaded gun." What is this latest "loaded gun?" It's Gardasil.

What is a "loaded gun" anyway? The expression implies something that is a weapon, armed, ready to go off. But what makes the expression is the inference that a loaded gun is a weapon that could go off at any time, not necessarily aimed at the place where it should be aimed, but without warning, spontaneously, like a hidden land mine waiting to detonate unexpectedly.

Brockovich to address SC trial lawyers convention

The South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association announced Erin Brockovich is speaking to 1,000 attendees Saturday on Hilton Head Island.

Brockovich rose to prominence when she put together a landmark 1996 water pollution case that won the residents of the a small California desert town a $333 million settlement from state utility Pacific Gas & Electric Co.